Lex Talionis
by OpenSourceArtist
Summary: After growing up in one of the worst districts of East Rukongai, Ichigo becomes a mercenary and vows revenge against the Central 46. He dances with fate as his past continues to follow him while the future holds avenues left undiscovered. Takes place before the "Turn Back The Pendulum" mini-series, 112 years prior to current timeline. (Hiatus, 3/24/14)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Due to the fact that Bleach is currently ongoing, everything past Chapters 514 in the manga will be disregarded so that I will not have to alter my story if new revelations within the canon material are revealed. This is an alternate universe-type of fanfiction, therefore, do not expect the story to play out in an exact fashion that the canon did, as I will be taking liberties with the canon's plot.**

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><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 1**

The evening was eerily quiet. Shinigami patrols were ever present on the streets of the Seireitei. They were following their duty and keeping a watchful eye for any disturbance, but unbeknownst to them they had already failed in that task.

A man had stealthily slipped by every patrol, heading east towards the residential areas of the Seireitei.

This man wore all black clothing, making his figure blend in with the shadows that were created by the moonlight; the few souls who had seen this man's face wouldn't be able to tell you what lie beneath his dark attire, for they were all dead.

In mere moments the man had leapt over a wall and snuck inside of a large sized building.

"Where is he? He's late" a man cried out in frustration.

"He won't show up" another yelled in doubt.

"This is a waste of time, I doubt he even exists" one said with irritation.

A constant argument amongst a dozen or so men in a circular seated room had been ongoing for the past several minutes as they all had eagerly waited for their guest to arrive.

As the disagreements and disputes continued to grow, a man in black clothing suddenly appeared in the center of the meeting room, immediately ceasing any further discussion.

The silence in the room was deafening, and then the man at the center of the room spoke, "Taniguchi Noble Family" he acknowledged with a solemn voice.

All of the men who were seated above quickly settled down and gathered themselves.

"It has come to my attention that a request of my services has been made by one of your members. I have arrived to hear the specifics of said request" the man finished.

An elderly man at the highest seat cleared his throat before replying, "Yes, we would like a certain individual taken care of. This individual's name is Shaolin Fon and resides in the Fon family estate within Seireitei."

The man took no time to contemplate the mission before replying, "You will pay me now in full and your request shall be granted."

One of the other elderly men, seated in the opposite side of the room said disdainfully, "How can we trust you to carry out what you've been paid for? For all we know, you will simply take our money and leave!"

This encouraged another elder to speak up, "Yes, I agree. I suggest that we kill him now so no one discovers our plan and we can hire someone we know more about!"

The man standing in the center of the room calmly replied, "I require no payment for killing someone who threatens me."

The severe implications of his remark soon registered among the elders and the tension grew thick as he let his words hand in the air.

"Enough!" the apparent leader said loudly, "We will pay him as he requests, but we expect you to keep your end of the bargain."

The man simply stood there, seemingly unresponsive, and only moved when he took their payment and disappeared into nothingness.

He quickly made his way towards the Fon family estate to carry out the assassination.

"_This is likely a political move, I'll never understand these noble families who try to obtain more power," _the man thought offhandedly.

He quietly snuck inside the Fon estate and subtlety moved about the grounds, avoiding the detection of their scouts before entering the living quarters.

"_Shaolin…Shaolin…Shaolin…" _he read off the plaques before finally coming to his intended target's bedroom door.

He checked the hallways for any patrols before letting himself into the bedroom.

He lit the room up with a soft glow from his palm, and slowly approached the bed, the occupying person facing away from him as they slept.

The man slowly pulled out a knife as the distance between him and his soon to be victim became closer with each passing moment.

He drew back his arm and half way through his strike the person lying down turned over towards him, revealing it to be a young girl.

He ceased instantaneously.

"_What am I doing?" _he thought with utter shock.

He couldn't bring himself to finish the strike.

An array of vivid imagery and voices assaulted the man's mind as he began to relive his torturous past.

* Flashback *

"_Grandpa!" a child with black hair yelled fearfully._

"_Ichigo, run away!" the man yelled frantically._

"_No, don't run, enjoy the show!" another man said sadistically as he began digging his sword into his Grandpa's flesh._

"_Grand…pa" Ichigo tried to scream out, watching on helplessly._

* End Flashback *

He quickly shut himself off from his memories.

"_What the hell am I doing?" _he thought again with more distaste at his actions.

The little girl slowly started waking up, the man too wrapped up in his own thoughts to be aware, when she suddenly opened her eyes, wide with shock.

Her eyes briefly captivated the man, but after having realized the little girl had awoken, he quickly escaped the living quarters.

"_Who was that?" _the girl thought fearfully.

"_Has it really gotten to this point? Am I so far gone?" _the man thought absurdly as he left the Fon family estate.

The man narrowed his eyes angrily before he began heading back towards the Taniguchi family compound.

The many elders were speaking amongst themselves, awaiting the good news of Shaolin Fon's death, when just as abruptly as before the man they had hired returned at the center of the meeting room.

"Is she dead?" the leader asked.

"No, she is not" the man replied.

"I told you we shouldn't have…" one of the elders shouted until he was silenced.

The elders looked over at their colleague only to see the horrific display of his head tilted backwards revealing a slit throat, blood spewing from the fresh wound as he sat there dead in his seat.

Before the elders could shout in fear, they were all silenced in a similar fashion, their lifeless bodies also bleeding out on the tables beneath them, and a pool of blood forming at the center of the room.

The man left the Taniguchi family compound just as quietly as he had entered and couldn't help contemplate over the past hour, _"I've gone astray. Somewhere along the way, I have forgotten my purpose. Now is the time to make them pay. They will all suffer for what they did to me…to us"_ he thought vengefully.

"The Central 46 will feel my retribution," he said softly.

**Chapter 1**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Chapters 1-4 were written and released months prior to the writing and release of Chapter 5, so the quality and length improve significantly by the time Chapter 5 comes around. I'm in the process of revising Chapters 1-4. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	2. Chapter 2

"_I've gone astray. Somewhere along the way, I have forgotten my purpose. Now is the time to make them pay. They will all suffer for what they did to me…to us"_ he thought vengefully.

"The Central 46 will feel my retribution," he said softly.

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><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 2**

The man had decided to join the Gotei 13, in order to gather intelligence and get closer to the Central 46, unfortunately he had to wait a year being as the entrance exam deadline had long since passed.

He was now in line at the Shinigami Academy to take the entrance exam, his black suit having been disposed of the night before.

He stood at a height of 5'11" and had waist-length black flowing hair that seemed to ripple with the shadows. His skin tone was slightly tan and he had some noticeable muscle definition, but nothing large enough to be an inconvenience to his mobility. His most noticeable feature, save for perhaps his hair, were his eyes; they were a scorching auburn.

Individuals ranging from nervous wrecks to arrogant upper-class aristocrats surrounded him as they all stood in line to take the entrance exam, much to his displeasure.

He patiently waited for his turn as he came closer and closer to the seated official, and with what seemed to be hours, it was finally his turn.

"What is your name and where are you from?" the official asked gruffly not looking up from his papers.

"Fushou Ichigo. I am from Fushou, 80th District of East Rukongai" he replied impassively.

The official noticeably stiffened before slowly looking up from his papers and stuttered fearfully, "Could you…say that again please?"

Ichigo merely narrowed his eyes at the official before the man quickly said, "Never mind, forget I said anything, you may now go take your exam!"

Ichigo walked past the man and a group of instructors greeted him, who appeared to be the ones responsible for the testing portion of the exam.

"Greetings Fushou-san, we will first start with Hakuda, or hand-to-hand combat" one of the instructors said.

Ichigo merely stood there with his eyes closed before he gave a slight nod in acknowledgement.

A man with black hair tied up in a ponytail, bushy black eyebrows, a bushy black beard, and frameless red sunglasses, wearing a Shinigami uniform with a badge wrapped around his arm stepped in front of him, "Kotsubaki Jin'emon, Lieutenant of the 7th Division."

Ichigo didn't respond in the slightest and continued to stand perfectly still with his eyes remained closed.

The Lieutenant of the 7th Division didn't appreciate it one bit, and as to teach this person a lesson he quickly darted forward with a palm strike ready in hand.

To his shock, and the instructors, Ichigo sidestepped the attack and dealt his own palms strike to the ribs of Jin'emon, sending him soaring past the instructors and outside the testing area into the line of students.

Jin'emon was thoroughly embarrassed in front of the new recruits and swiftly closed the distance between himself and Ichigo, but the results were the same.

The instructor quickly interjected by saying, "The Hakuda portion of the exam is over!"

Jin'emon was red with anger, almost matching the color of his sunglasses, before he retook his position in front of Ichigo once again.

"Do you know how to Flash-Step, Fushou-san?" a different instructor asked.

A moment later, Ichigo lifted his hand holding a hair band. The instructors were slightly confused before noticing that Jin'emon's ponytail had been undone.

"I didn't even notice he had moved" the Hoho instructor said with a baffled expression.

Jin'emon on the other hand was fuming.

"_I'll kill him!" _the 7th Division Lieutenant thought.

"Fushou-san" a third instructor said quite calmly, "please cast a Kidō spell, if you know any, on that target dummy over there."

Ichigo faced the target dummy, lifted up his hand, and calmly said, "Bakudō #63. Sajo Sabaku."

A yellow rope formed and wrapped itself around the dummy, tightly squeezing it to the point of the wooden joints cracking under the pressure.

The Kidō instructor's expression was far from calm after witnessing the display, but he soon regained his composure before saying, "That was most exceptional Fushou-san."

"Let us test your Zanjutsu, if you would please take a sword from the rack behind you we may begin" a burly man told Ichigo.

Ichigo simply pulled a concealed sword out from his back, "That won't be necessary," he stated.

"Very well. Kotsubaki Fukutaichō, if you would please" the burly man asked.

Jin'emon didn't even wait for the instructor to start the fight and rushed Ichigo. Ichigo just stood, immobile and unwavering, as Jin'emon came running towards him, seemingly bored by the whole situation.

Jin'emon raised his blade as to slash downwards at Ichigo, but not before Ichigo reacted.

Ichigo flash-stepped behind Jin'emon and cut the wrist of his right hand, then reappeared in front of him, using the hilt of his sword and thrust it in the wrist of Jin'emon's left hand, effectively disarming him. This all happened within the time span of Jin'emon blinking his eye; he would have blinked both eyes but Ichigo had slashed the left side of his face, from the forehead down to the cheek, thereby cutting his eye.

This all happened so abruptly that Jin'emon felt the cut to his wrist, strike to his other wrist, and slash to his face all at the same time.

Jin'emon screamed out in pain he fell to the ground, not only feeling the external injuries that Ichigo had dealt him, but his internal injuries as well.

The instructors were at a loss for words. A person from the Rukongai just defeated the 7th Division Lieutenant with seemingly no effort at all.

"The spiritual pressure outlets on his wrists are likely damaged, you should take him to get healed" Ichigo said calmly.

The instructors broke from their stupor, one of them calling for a 4th Division member while the others continued the examination.

"Well" one of the instructors began, "let us begin the final portion of the exam, measuring your spiritual power."

Ichigo sheathed his sword and stood in front of the instructors once again, his expression unchanged since he began the exam.

An instructor grabbed a white orb and handed it to Ichigo.

"Channel your spiritual power into the orb, Fushou-san," the instructor requested.

Ichigo channeled his spiritual power into the orb if only for half of a second before it shattered into tiny pieces.

"That orb has the capacity to contain the spiritual energy to that of an unseated officer, all the way up to a 20th seat, but it's not surprising you destroyed it given your results thus far" the instructor commented.

"This orb has the capacity up to a 10th seat" the instructor said as he handed Ichigo another orb.

The orb shattered in one second.

"This orb has the capacity up to a 3rd seat" the instructor said with a tinge of excitement in his voice, curious to see just how far Ichigo's spiritual power went.

The orb shattered in one and a half second.

"This orb" the instructor held up before continuing, "has the capacity up to a high level 2nd seat, or Lieutenant" he finished, handing the orb to Ichigo.

Ichigo took the orb and placed it within his hands before the orb suddenly began to glow very brightly, cracks began to form, and after two seconds, the orb shattered.

"Well" the instructor began, "we don't have any orbs with greater capacity than the one you just destroyed, this concludes your exam, thank you Fushou-san."

Ichigo turned and exited the examination area, causing heads to turn, and whispers to break out, but he ignored it all as he proceeded to walk towards a tree and sit underneath it.

A couple of hours had passed until they finally called Ichigo's name to come and receive his results.

He wasn't surprised that his papers stated he was accepted into the Shinigami Academy as an advanced student.

After familiarizing himself with the school grounds, he headed towards his dorm room over in the West Section.

He finally arrived to his dorm, room 6-15, and he pushed open the door and slowly walked inside. The room was simple in design; white walls, one window, two beds, one bathroom, and two desks. His attention however, was on the individual who happened to already be inside.

"I was wonderin' if I'd have a roommate, what's your name?" the boy asked.

"Fushou Ichigo" he replied with his usual lack of emotion.

The boy's grin widened, "You sure are interesting. My name's Ichimaru Gin" the boy said.

**Chapter 2**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Bakudō #63. Sajo Sabaku (鎖条鎖縛, Locking Bondage Stripes) - Binds an enemy with a Reishi chain. A mid-level restraint spell. The practitioner raises his/her palm up to the target and closes his/her hand into a fist. The spell calls forth a yellow energy in the form of very thick rope to ensnare an opponent, this spell binds the upper body of a target.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	3. Chapter 3

"I was wonderin' if I'd have a roommate, what's your name?" the boy asked.

"Fushou Ichigo" he replied with his usual lack of emotion.

The boy's grin widened, "You sure are interesting. My name's Ichimaru Gin" the boy said.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 3**

Ichigo looked at the seemingly harmless boy and sensed anything _but_ harmless, "_He is someone not to be underestimated," _he thought seriously.

"Ain't that a coincidence, two new students both in the accelerated program" Gin commented.

"Ah" Ichigo replied.

"Where are ya from, Fushou-san?" Gin asked.

"Fushou, 80th District of East Rukongai" Ichigo replied simply.

"Ya don't say?" he replied curiously, "I'm from the 64th District of North Rukongai."

"So why'd ya become a Shinigami?" the noticeably younger boy asked.

Ichigo glanced at Gin as he further inspected the rather dull room before saying, "A promise."

Gin's grin widened ever so slightly, which did not go unnoticed by Ichigo, before replying, "This is going to be fun."

"We should go to class, it will be starting within a few minutes" Ichigo said, not bothering to comment on what Gin had said.

"I guess you're right, we don't want to go and be upsettin' anyone on our first day" Gin replied.

With that said, both Ichigo and Gin both made way to their first class, Soul Society History & Law.

Gin stood at roughly 4'10'' who seemed dwarfed by Ichigo, standing over a foot taller. Gin's eyes looked like slits, since he kept them closed at all times, and he adorned short silver hair with a purple tint.

They both received stares and were the topic of discussion as they passed by other students through the hallways of the Shinigami Academy, which wasn't surprising given how intimidating they appeared.

They were under a minute away from their first class with time to spare until a group of students blocked Ichigo and Gin's path in the hallway.

"Hey kid, what's with the hair," one of the students said loudly, gaining the attention of those standing near them.

Ichigo had paid them no attention and kept his eyes closed since the moment they left their room, which only agitated the students before them.

"Sure his hair is a bit long, but it's nothin' to be gettin' worked up over" Gin said nonchalantly.

The student's eye twitched in annoyance, "Not his hair you fool, yours!"

Gin looked at the student, "Oh, little ole me?" he said with faux unawareness.

"Yes you! Why does it look purple!" the student asked with rising frustration.

"Yare yare, you sure do make a fuss" Gin said rather boringly.

"That's it!" the student bellowed before he rushed Gin.

Gin smiled widely as the student ran towards him, but was mildly surprised when Ichigo had quickly grabbed the student by the shirt, and with unrecognizable speed tossed him behind them.

"You didn't have to go and do that, Fushou-san" Gin said rather cheerfully, almost amused at the whole situation.

"I do not wish to be late" Ichigo replied before continuing to walk forward, causing the group of students that were standing in their way to disperse for fear of suffering a similar fate to their classmate.

"Ha" Gin laughed before following after Ichigo to class.

Ichigo and Gin managed to find two empty seats in the back of the room just as the instructor entered the classroom.

"Welcome to Section One of Soul Society History & Law!" the instructor greeted with a commanding voice.

"I am Hashimoto-sensei and I will be your instructor for this year. We wont waste any time with idle chat, so lets get right into the lesson planned for today. If you have any questions during my lecture, please raise your hand and I will answer them" he said as he looked over every one of the students.

"The Rukongai, as most of you are well aware, is the largest and most populated area of Soul Society. This is where spirits, who have either passed from the Human World by soul burial, or a hollow who was purified by a shinigami, are sent to live" Hashimoto-sensei explained.

"The Seireitei is at the center of Soul Society, at the very heart of this world, where shinigami and the noble families reside," he said.

Before the instructor continued any further he noticed a student raising a hand, "Yes, you in the back there, your name please?"

The student stood, "Fushou Ichigo. Why would it be that only shinigami and noble families may live within the Seireitei?" he asked with a steady voice, which fully matched his expression.

"Surely you wouldn't expect nobility and our military officers to reside in the same place as commoners, would you?" Hashimoto-sensei asked rhetorically as a number of students stifled a laugh at the question.

Before Ichigo could retort the instructor continued, "Now, that provides an excellent lead-in to the next topic of discussion, the government" Hashimoto-sensei said, causing Ichigo to calmly sit down, albeit reluctantly.

"_Clearly this man and these students have a skewed perspective, it would be best to remain quiet as to not cause any suspicion" _Ichigo thought.

"There are several different facets to the government of Soul Society: the Spirit King, the Noble Houses, and the Central 46" Hashimoto-sensei explained.

Ichigo had ever so slightly furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of Central 46, but otherwise had maintained his composure.

"The Spirit King, as the name implies, is the ruler of Soul Society. He leaves the task of running Soul Society to the Noble Houses and Central 46" the instructor elaborated.

"The Noble Houses are akin to aristocrats, being highly influential and carrying much weight in their opinion within Soul Society" he continued.

"The Central 46 is the judiciary, legislative, and operative authority of Soul Society, which brings us to laws and punishment" Hashimoto-sensei said before walking up to the board on the wall.

"I expect all of you to be taking notes," he said with his back to the students before continuing, "Here is a list of some of the many laws that you will learn in this class" the instructor paused, giving the students time to get out their equipment to copy notes.

"It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government. To do so is treason."

"It is against the law to attack a Captain. To do so is treason."

"It is against the law to commit terrorist actions or attempt overthrow of the balance of Soul Society. To do so is treason."

"It is against the law to commit murder."

"It is against the law to kill a human that a Shinigami has not been ordered to kill."

"It is against the law for the Gotei 13 to meddle in the affairs of the noble families unless the family in question breaks one of the laws of Soul Society beyond a shadow of a doubt."

"It is a crime for a Shinigami to remain in the Human World longer than a certain time limit."

"Any questions?" Hashimoto-sensei asked as he turned away from the board and faced the students.

A nervous looking boy slowly raised his hand, "Yes, do you have a question?" the instructor asked.

The boy slowly nodded his head, "Hashimoto-sensei, w-why is it a crime for a Shinigami to r-remain in the Human World longer than a certain t-time limit?" he stuttered out.

"Excellent question. The spiritual energy of Shinigami can have devastating side effects on humans if they are exposed to it for a prolonged period; therefore, Shinigami have time limits on their tours to the Human World" Hashimoto-sensei explained.

The instructor proceeded to continue after no further questions, "This brings us to the military branch of Soul Society: the Gotei 13, the Kidō Corps, and the Onmitsukidō."

"The Gotei 13 is the primary military branch of Soul Society. They are the defense of the Seireitei, where as it was explained earlier is where nobles and shinigami reside, and are allocated districts of the Rukongai to defend. They are charged with the deployment of Division members into enemy territory for combat operations, the deployment of Task Forces as defensive measures in the world of the living, and guide souls to Soul Society." Hashimoto-sensei detailed.

"We will cover the Kidō Corps and Onmitsukidō in tomorrow's lesson, and with that being said this concludes your Soul Society History & Law class for today" the instructor said.

The students quickly exited the classroom for their next period, with the exception of two students. Ichigo and Gin stood and slowly made their way out of the classroom.

Before they exited the class however, their instructor called out to them, "I would assume that the two of you are the accelerated students I was told about."

"That's us," Gin said with an eerie smile.

Ichigo merely nodded in response.

Hashimoto-sensei handed them both a folder with numerous papers inside and said, "Although your combat skills may exceed what the Shinigami Academy may be able to teach you, History & Law does not fall within that category. You will both be given six years worth of this subject in a single year, if you have any questions feel free to let me know."

"Lucky us!" Gin chimed with a small hint of sarcasm.

Ichigo again simply nodded in response, far less vocal than his roommate.

"Now get to your next class, you don't want to be late," the instructor said before turning away from them.

They both walked quietly to their next class in empty hallways before Gin spoke, "Its too bad we're only spendin' a year in that class, eh Fushou-san?"

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked.

Gin's smile widened at Ichigo, "Clearly they like us, wouldn't you say so?" he said.

"I suppose" Ichigo replied, not detecting the sarcasm.

They continued to walk down the hallways; their light footsteps were the only noise that could be heard in the vicinity.

"What's our next class?" Gin asked.

"Spiritual Energy Control & Manipulation" Ichigo answered.

After a couple of more minutes of walking, both Ichigo and Gin found their next class and again sat down in the back of the class.

Moments later their instructor walked in, "Welcome class to Section Six, Practicum, of Spiritual Energy Control & Manipulation. I am Ishikawa-sensei."

"Today we will review over sensing and controlling our spiritual energy, so quickly partner up with a fellow student and I will explain the exercise that we will be practicing" the instructor stated.

Ichigo was unmoving and his eyes remained close, Gin however had looked at Ichigo with his ever-present smile, "What do you say Fushou-san, want to be my partner?"

"Very well" Ichigo replied.

"I want you and your partner to face each other. One of you will try to hide your spiritual energy, while your partner will try to detect it. Once your partner has managed to detect your spiritual energy you will reverse roles in the exercise," Ishikawa-sensei explained.

"You hide, and I'll seek" Gin said happily.

Ichigo nodded in compliance.

Both Gin and Ichigo stood facing each other, along with the other students, and began the exercise.

After half an hour had passed, Gin finally said, "Looks like I can't find you Fushou-san."

The instructor walked up to the two of them and looked at Gin before saying, "What year student are you?"

"I'm a first year" Gin replied.

"Well this is a sixth year class, you're schedule must have been mixed up" the instructor said.

"_Fushou-san_ told me that this was our class" Gin said while pointing at Ichigo in a playfully accusatory manner.

The instructor looked at Ichigo, "I don't detect any spiritual energy coming from you, the admissions must have made a mistake…" she said, but stopped mid-sentence when she suddenly felt spiritual energy coming from Ichigo, it was unmistakable.

"We are both first year students in an accelerated program" Ichigo said simply.

"_How could a first year student have such masterful control with spiritual energy, its ludicrous!" _the instructor thought in disbelief.

Ishikawa-sensei recovered from her stupor and said, "Very well, in future exercises such as these, emit enough energy so your partner may improve on sensing. For now, switch roles."

The remainder of the class consisted of Gin hiding his spiritual energy while Ichigo sensed for it, which he had no difficulties doing.

The class ended, with both Ichigo and Gin slowly walking through the hallways once again.

"Yare yare, it looks like I'll be holding you back in that class Fushou-san." Gin said offhandedly.

"You're much more preferable" Ichigo replied.

Gin smiled at the small compliment, _"I knew this would be fun," _he thought.

**Chapter 3**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	4. Chapter 4

"Yare yare, it looks like I'll be holding you back in that class Fushou-san." Gin said offhandedly.

"You're much more preferable" Ichigo replied.

Gin smiled at the small compliment, _"I knew this would be fun," _he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 4**

Ichigo and Gin were walking to their next class, and after yesterday's confrontation, no one approached the duo as they walked side by side down the hallway.

After a few minutes, both Ichigo and Gin eventually arrived to their first class of the day, Hakuda.

Per usual, they both sat in the back of the class to avoid unnecessary attention.

"Welcome again class to Section Six, Practicum, of Hakuda. For those of you who forgot, my name is Takeda-sensei and I am your instructor." A rather thin, middle-aged looking man said with a prominent voice.

"Everyone get with the partner you had last time and spar until I signal the class to stop" Takeda-sensei ordered.

Ichigo and Gin stood up, faced each other, and began sparring, as did the rest of the class.

*** Elsewhere, Soul Society ***

"Ōmaeda, get a move on!" a dark-skinned woman yelled.

"I'm coming Captain Shihōin!" a rotund man replied fearfully.

The Captain scratched her head with agitation, her patience running thin at her subordinate's lack of punctuality.

"Classes at the Shinigami Academy will be long over with by the time you're ready, so drop whatever you're doing and let's go!" she berated.

*** Section Six Hakuda Class, Shinigami Academy ***

"I hope you aren't goin' too easy on me, Fushou-san" Gin said as they both dodged and attacked each other.

Ichigo sidestepped a punch, grabbed Gin's hand, and threw the smaller boy behind him to the ground. Gin rolled through the fall and landed back onto his feet, his ever-present grin remaining on his face.

"Not at all" Ichigo replied calmly.

Gin smirked before charging forward, unloading a barrage of fists at Ichigo's face, all of which he gracefully dodged. Gin quickly switched up with a spinning low kick to a spinning high kick, both of which Ichigo avoided.

As Gin landed on his feet, Ichigo aimed a low kick at the back of Gin's legs causing him to fall flat on his back. Ichigo followed up with a palm strike aimed at Gin's solar plexus, but Gin narrowly dodged the attack by rolling backwards, evident by the resonating clap that Ichigo's palm made with the mat.

Gin used his momentum from rolling backwards to leap back towards Ichigo with a flying kick aimed at his head. Ichigo calmly ducked beneath the attack, grabbed Gin's ankle, and threw him at the classroom door just as it opened.

*** Outside the Hakuda Class ***

"I don't know why we're visiting the Shinigami Academy, Captain" Ōmaeda complained as he walked towards the classroom door.

"To look for potential members, now quit your griping" the dark-skinned Captain demanded.

"I doubt we'll find anyone here worth recruiting…" he retorted as he opened the door, but was soon cut off as a student flew right into him, knocking him unceremoniously onto the ground.

"Fushou-san" Gin said humorously as he landed on his feet, "You knew they were outside the class when you threw me, you tryin' to get me in trouble?"

"Your attack was quite obvious" Ichigo replied simply.

"Eh, I guess you're right" Gin replied before jumping back into the classroom and fighting with Ichigo once again.

"You were saying Ōmaeda?" the Captain asked with a smirk.

The man merely grumbled as he stood back up, crossing his arms and putting a scowl on his face.

"Ha" the woman laughed with amusement before walking into the classroom.

"Class" the instructor said, thereby signaling the class to stop.

"Allow me to introduce to you the Captain of the 2nd Division, Shihōin Yoruichi, and her Lieutenant, Ōmaeda Marenoshin. For those of you who don't know, the 2nd Division is tied directly with the Onmitsukidō!" Takeda-sensei said respectfully.

Gin frowned before raising his hand.

"Yes, Ichimaru-san" Takeda-sensei said.

Gin looked at Yoruichi before saying, "If you're tied with the Onmitsukidō, shouldn't he have been able to dodge?" he finished while pointing at Ōmaeda.

Ōmaeda's eyebrow twitched, "Why you little…"

Yoruichi subtly elbowed her Lieutenant in the ribs before replying, "Lets just say that he has connections and leave it at that" she whispered.

Takeda-sensei quickly changed the subject at sight of the 2nd Division Lieutenant and said, "Ah, umm, Captain Shihōin, care to test any of our fine young students here?"

Yoruichi looked at the small boy whom the instructor called Ichimaru and asked, "Who was the student that threw you at my oblivious Lieutenant?"

Gin smiled, "That would be Fushou-san," he said, pointing at his roommate.

Yoruichi followed to where Gin was pointing and her eyes fell upon a tall young man with long flowing black hair. He had a strong, but not rigid, posture. A calm aura seemed to radiate off him, but if one were to look closely, a deathly quality could be recognized. He held his hands behind himself and looked directly at the Captain with a stoic stare, but his cold eyes seemed to bore themselves into her very soul.

Yoruichi smirked, seemingly unfazed, "You don't say."

"Fushou Ichigo" the student said evenly to the Captain.

Yoruichi was now sporting a grin on her face and she said, "Ōmaeda!"

The Lieutenant was briefly startled before he answered, "Yes Captain?"

"I want you to spar with this student."

Ōmaeda looked at the student with apprehension, "He's just a student though."

"No excuses Ōmaeda, now spar!" Yoruichi said, not allowing her Lieutenant to back out of the fight.

Ōmaeda walked toward the student and said arrogantly, "Don't worry kid, I'll take it easy on you!"

Ichigo's expression and posture didn't change even in the slightest.

"_He must be paralyzed by fear, and to think I was nervous about fighting him!" _Ōmaeda thought.

Ōmaeda rushed toward Ichigo in an attempt to deliver a straight punch to the student's face, but much to his surprise, and everyone else's, things didn't go as planned.

Ichigo gently placed his fingers on the inside of the Lieutenant's wrist and pushed it away slightly, causing the punch to miss, and smoothly landed a palm strike on Ōmaeda's very large, very round stomach.

The 2nd Division Lieutenant was knocked to the ground for the second time that day.

Ōmaeda cursed under his breath as he quickly stood up and tried shaking off the attack, "Ha, that's not bad kid. Where are you from? Any student with that kind of strength has to come from a Noble Family like myself," the Lieutenant stated.

"I'm from Fushou, 80th District of East Rukongai. I do not descend from any 'Noble Family' as you put it" Ichigo replied with an even voice.

"A Rukongai commoner?" the Lieutenant said more to himself than to Ichigo. "Well in that case, your attack was probably nothing more than a fluke, let's see you stop this" Ōmaeda said with a hint of disgust as he charged at Ichigo once again.

"_Another straight punch? His intelligence cannot be so lacking if he is a Lieutenant of a division that specializes in stealth," _Ichigo thought.

Moments before Ōmaeda's fist reached Ichigo, the 2nd Division Lieutenant flash-stepped behind him with a punch aimed to the back of Ichigo's head.

"_I suppose his intelligence is indeed lacking" _Ichigo thought.

Ōmaeda's fist was mere inches away from landing until Ichigo tilted his head to the side, effectively avoiding the attack altogether. Ichigo grabbed hold of Ōmaeda's hand and proceeded to throw the Lieutenant over his shoulder and onto his back with a resounding thud.

Ōmaeda landed several feet in front of Ichigo, and after a few moments of confusion, he quickly got to his feet and recklessly charged Ichigo yet again with another straight punch.

Ichigo caught Ōmaeda's punch and then applied a small bit of pressure, causing the large man to fall to his knees.

"A noble kneeling before a Rukongai commoner, how interesting" Ichigo mused.

Ōmaeda grinded his teeth together angrily, his composure and restraint having long since broken, and he suddenly drew his Zanpakutō.

"Ōmaeda!" Yoruichi yelled.

The large man was blinded by anger and loathing as he charged the student with his sword.

Ichigo did not wait for Ōmaeda to take a single step more before he flash-stepped in front of the large man and landed a swift palm strike to the man's sternum with shocking strength, sending the Lieutenant through the classroom wall.

"_His reaction is as fast as my own…" _Yoruichi thought with utter shock_._

After a moment of silence due to everyone's stupor, Gin spoke up, "You showed em' Fushou-san," he chirped happily.

Ichigo stood in place for a moment longer before he took his place next to Gin, showing no external reaction to the events at all.

Takeda-sensei regained his wits and said, "Class dismissed, everyone make sure to practice what we've been going over in our spars!"

The students all filed out of the classroom, many with avid gossip to discuss and spread at what they witnessed.

"A thousand apologies Captain Yoruichi" Takeda-sensei said with his head bowed.

Yoruichi regained her composure and replied, "If anything I should apologize for my Lieutenant" she said and looked at Ichigo, "Sorry about him."

Ichigo paid no mind and simply walked off with Gin to their next class.

"_Looks like this trip wasn't a total waste" _Yoruichi thought.

*** Hallway, Shinigami Academy ***

"That Lieutenant sure was worthless, eh Fushou-san?" Gin said as they both walked side by side to their next class for the day.

"Ah" Ichigo replied.

"I forgot that the Captains of the Gotei 13 are visiting the Shinigami Academy today to see who they want in their divisions" Gin stated nonchalantly.

Ichigo chose not to comment.

"Are ya interested in any of the divisions, Fushou-san?" Gin asked, looking up at his quiet roommate.

Ichigo pondered the question shortly before saying, "I would fair well in the Onmitsukidō, so the 2nd Division."

"The 2nd Division eh? What about that pathetic Lieutenant?" Gin said with amusement.

"He won't be the first Lieutenant I force to retire" Ichigo said solemnly as they approached a practice field.

Gin's smile widened at what Ichigo said, but chose not to reply since they had arrived to class.

The students all stood on one side of the field, while numerous practice dummies were positioned on the opposite side.

"Hello class, glad you all made it to Section Six, Practicum, of Kidō today. I am Shimizu-sensei, your instructor," said a young woman with black hair tied into a bun as she walked towards the students accompanied by a young man with short brown hair and thick framed glasses.

"We have a guest today who will be observing our class for his division," she said glancing at the person next to her, causing her cheeks to redden slightly.

"5th Division Lieutenant, Aizen Sōsuke, it's nice to meet you" the man said politely.

"Lieutenant Aizen was also once a Kidō instructor here at the Shinigami Academy, one of the best I might add" Shimizu-sensei beamed.

"You flatter me Shimizu-kun" Aizen said, waving off the compliment.

"Alright class, line up and use any Kidō of your choosing" Shimizu-sensei said to the students.

The students only felt comfortable using one particular spell, given its simplicity and ease, "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hadō #31. Shakkahō" was chanted by every student, with the exception of two.

Gin looked at the 5th Division Lieutenant, "Would ya like a Bakudō or Hadō spell, Aizen-fukutaichō?" he asked with a broad grin.

Aizen smiled at the young student, "Hadō, please."

Gin nodded before looking up at his roommate expectantly who stood next to him.

Ichigo merely nodded at the boy.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" Gin began to chant. Aizen frowned, believing the Hadō to be no different from all the other Hadō #31 Shakkahō spells that he had seen thus far, until Gin continued, "On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui."

Two blue bursts of blue spiritual energy shot from Gin's fingers toward the practice dummies and they were obliterated on impact.

Shimizu-sensei was ecstatic at Gin's proficiency and happy at the thought of impressing Lieutenant Aizen, "Excellent work Ichimaru-san!"

"Ah, thanks. Fushou-san, it's your turn" Gin chimed.

"Shimizu-sensei, I request that the students stand back as I would like to try a new spell and may not be able to fully control it" Ichigo asked calmly.

Shimizu-sensei had a gleam of excitement in her eyes, for she might possibly be able to color Lieutenant Aizen impressed if one more student pulled off an exceptional Kidō, "Of course Fushou-san. Class, please back away."

Ichigo closed his eyes briefly before he began, "Seeping crest of turbidity" he said evenly.

Aizen's eyes widened visibly, "_Impossible!" _he thought in disbelief.

"Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny!" he continued, the energy in his palm began to flicker.

"Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron!" he said, the energy growing with each passing moment.

"Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse!" he chanted, the energy was frightful.

Gin smiled widely.

"Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!"

"_If he loses control…" _Aizen thought before he flash-stepped in front of the students with the exception of Gin and said, "Bakudō # 81. Dankū" and a translucent rectangular wall erected in front of them.

"Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi" Ichigo finished.

A massive box of black energy soon enveloped all of the practice dummies, and as it closed around them, several spears protruded the box, lacerating them from within.

As the spell dissipated, the practice dummies were revealed absolutely destroyed, pieces littered the ground where they once stood upright.

Shimizu-sensei was stupefied, the spell was clearly beyond her own level, let alone what was taught at the Shinigami Academy.

Aizen dispelled the Dankū and spoke, "I must say Fushou-san, despite the fact that your execution was flawed, casting a level 90 spell is a remarkable feat, by any standard."

Ichigo remained staring at the destroyed practice dummies before saying, "It was a rather waste of time and energy."

Aizen smiled at his statement, "_Interesting_" he thought.

**Chapter 4**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Hadō #31. Shakkahō (赤火砲, Red Fire Cannon) - Generates high-temperature flame and discharges it from both hands. The practitioner generates an orb of crimson red energy in his/her palm or finger.

Hadō #73. Sōren Sōkatsui (双漣蒼火墜, Twin Lotus Blue Fire, Crash Down) - An advanced form of Sōkatsui. It has twice the effectiveness. The practitioner generates blue spiritual energy with his/her index and middle fingers and fires it as a concentrated blast at the intended target. It is essentially a doubled version of Hadō #33, Sōkatsui.

Bakudō # 81. Dankū (斷空, Splitting Void) - A spell which creates a defensive wall to shield an enemy's attack. The practitioner creates a translucent barrier in the form of a large rectangular wall.

Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi (黒棺, Black Coffin) - A high-level Kidō which seals its target in a black spiritual coffin. The practitioner generates a purple-black spiritual energy that envelops the target with a powerful torrent of gravity that takes the form of a box of black energy, covered in several spear-like protrusions. The spears then pierce the box, lacerating the one inside from head to toe.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	5. Chapter 5

Aizen dispelled the Dankū and spoke, "I must say Fushou-san, despite the fact that your execution was flawed, casting a level 90 spell is a remarkable feat, by any standard."

Ichigo remained staring at the destroyed practice dummies before saying, "It was a rather waste of time and energy."

Aizen smiled at his statement, "_Interesting_" he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 5**

Ichigo tossed and turned in his bed, as if trying to rid away the thoughts that tormented him in his sleep.

* Flashback *

_A young boy, dressed in rags, was trembling underneath a building. He was consumed by fear and frozen by terror. The rats and spiders knew nothing of his plight, and ignored him like the rest of Fushou. He could hear footsteps coming closer, and just when the sound of people was but a breath away and he felt his heart pounding in his chest, the footsteps faded away into the distance._

_Nightfall didn't come soon enough for the young boy. After hiding all day from the evil known as the residents of Fushou, he found a semblance of relief when darkness bathed the land. He looked as far as he could see for any sign of activity until he felt comfortable and darted out from his hiding spot._

_The boy knew not of where he was going, but anywhere his feet could take him that was away from Fushou spelled safety in his mind. He ran without looking back. He ran until his feet bled and eyelids closed shut. He ran for his life, letting the moonlight guide him to a haven; and that haven, was District 64 of East Rukongai, Sabitsura._

"_Hey, look at that!"_

"_What is it?"_

"_Looks like a kid."_

"_Is it a Shinigami?"_

"_Maybe we should kill him, just to be safe?"_

"_What are you two doing over here?"_

"_Nothing!" the two said in unison before fleeing._

_The young boy opened his eyes, exhaustion and hunger evident throughout his body. As he lay there, starvation bringing him closer to death's door with each passing moment, he looked up from the ground to see a young woman with long black hair looking down at him._

_She looked into his eyes, and saw many emotions swimming in his auburn irises, fear being the most prominent._

"_What's your name little one?" she asked._

_The boy hesitated, unsure of whether or not he could trust this woman._

_Her eyes softened, "I will not hurt you child" she said in almost a whisper, before extending her hand._

_The boy eyed her hand carefully, noticing a cross dangling from her wrist. He looked back into her eyes and for reasons he couldn't fathom felt he could trust her._

"_Ichigo" he choked out, his voice dry and raspy from lack of water._

_She smiled softly, "My name is Äs Nödt."_

_Ichigo grabbed hold of her hand, albeit weakly, and she helped him to his feet. However, he soon collapsed once more as he didn't have the energy to stand. She gently picked him up and walked away._

* End Flashback *

Ichigo shot up from his bed in a cold sweat, breathing heavily as he did his best to bury his past in the pit of his soul.

Deciding that any attempt to go back to sleep would be a waste of time, he got out of bed, put on some clothes, and went for a walk.

The moon always seemed to have a relaxing effect on him; nighttime always isolated him from the rest of the world, but the moon was there to keep him company.

After calming down from his dreams of the past, he made his way for the Soul Library to do some research, however, as he approached the restricted area within the Seireitei, someone else seemed to have the same idea: Aizen Sōsuke.

"Good evening, Fushou-san" Aizen said with his back to Ichigo, his attention diverted towards a screen.

"Lieutenant" he replied simply.

Aizen glanced behind him, catching Ichigo's gaze, before smiling softly and returning his attention back towards the screen.

Ichigo made his way towards a screen on the opposite side of Aizen, and began looking up Kidō spells.

They both stood there, looking at their respective screens, allowing silence to dictate the atmosphere between them. However, after an hour of silence Aizen turned off his screen and stood beside Ichigo, looking curiously down at his screen.

"If you'd be interested, I could teach you some Kidō. After yesterday's demonstration it's clear that you require a more _diverse _curriculum in the art" Aizen said with a friendly tone.

Ichigo paused in his reading, and looked up at Aizen briefly before returning back to his screen, "For what reason do you make such an offer?" he asked.

Aizen's expression didn't falter even in the slightest, "As a former Kidō instructor I believe in nurturing students and helping them reach their potential. It will benefit any division you decide to join, which will thereby benefit the Gotei 13 as a whole" he explained.

Ichigo turned off his screen and looked directly at Aizen, "I'm not interested" he said before walking past Aizen towards the exit.

"May I ask why, Fushou-san?" Aizen said curiously.

Ichigo merely glanced back at Aizen with a passive face and replied, "Today at the Kidō demonstration, you excluded Gin from your Dankū spell."

Aizen narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, "What exactly are you trying to imply, Fushou-san?"

"If I lost control of the spell, Gin could only do one of two things: live or die. Since you gain nothing from his death, I can only assume that you were testing him. What exactly your intentions are I am unaware, but clearly you have ulterior motives" he explained before walking out of the Soul Library.

"_Is that so?" _Aizen thought, a smile appearing on his face.

Ichigo stealthily made his way out of the Soul Library, cautious to avoid detection, before traversing outside of the Seireitei and into the wilderness.

He eventually found himself approaching a cliff overlooking the hillside with the moon standing out in the pitch black sky.

He was trying to play a game of chess and the number of players on the board continued to increase. "_As the enemies of my blade rise in number, the blades of my enemies rise toward me, and the sword of fate shall fall._"

Deciding to compose himself and put a hold on his worries, Ichigo sat down on the soft grass and calmed his mind, body, and soul. His breathing slowed, his eyelids and shoulders relaxed, and he soon found himself diving into his inner world.

As he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on the beach, with a pitch black sky and bright moon. The water reflecting the moon and stars that stood overhead their liquid depths. He stood up and began walking along the beach, the still waters and cool wind soothing his soul.

For how long he walked he never knew, but always he was to be found and never find; 'twas the way of his Zanpakuto.

"Did you find her?"

Ichigo stopped in his tracks and looked behind him, gazing upon the familiar form of his Zanpakuto: a small boy with white hair that covered half of his soft face.

"I'm afraid not."

The boy almost looked dejected, but it was hard to discern with his messy white hair and the pitch black night.

"There was a small wave tonight."

Ichigo looked out upon the waters, their only movement a result of the breeze flowing through the night sky.

"It's nothing to worry about."

The boy frowned before walking away from the beach and out of view.

Ichigo closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the salty air, and as he reopened them he found himself back in Soul Society.

The sun was soon to be rising and he decided that now would be a good time to return to the academy, less he cause suspicion. After an hour or so of walking he was able to sneak back within the walls of the Seireitei and join his fellow classmates for the graduation ceremony, standing next to Gin in comfortable silence.

"Ain't this exciting Fushou-san?" Gin asked with a grin on his face.

Ichigo glanced at Gin before looking back up and saying, "I suppose."

They both walked in line to receive their marks and see if they were accepted into the divisions they applied for, as did all the other students graduating this year.

The same burly man who took down their information when they joined the academy was the very same giving their results, "Next!"

Gin stood in front of him, his smile ever so present on his face, "Ichimaru Gin."

The burly man looked through his stacks of paper before finding Gin's results and handing them to the boy, "Next!"

"Fushou Ichigo."

The man froze in his seat. He didn't even bother to look up. As quickly as he could muster without throwing papers all over the place, he found Ichigo's results in record time before holding them up without so much as glancing up to meet Ichigo's gaze.

Ichigo grabbed the results and walked over towards Gin who was reading over his own results.

"I got perfect on all their tests, what about yourself Fushou-san?" he asked curiously.

Ichigo looked down at his paper, "As did I."

Gin's grin widened at that statement, "It seems my application to join the 5th Division was approved."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, "Why did you apply for the 5th Division, Gin?"

Gin was a bit surprised at the question, evident by his eyes opening slightly, "The same reason you became a Shinigami."

Ichigo decided he would ask no more on the matter, it was obviously something very private for Gin and he didn't want to pry.

Gin's eyes and smile returned quickly as the matter was dropped and he asked, "What division are you joinin'?"

"2nd Division" he answered as they both made their way for the entrance of the Gotei 13.

They eventually found a divide in the road, one direction leading to the 5th Division, and the other leading to the 2nd Division.

"I guess we won't be seein' one another for awhile, eh Fushou-san?" Gin asked.

"I'm sure our paths will cross eventually" he replied.

Gin looked up at Ichigo, before turning and heading towards the 5th Division, "See ya."

Ichigo spared a glance before he too went his own way, heading towards the 2nd Division.

He was now one step closer to having his revenge, having infiltrated the Shinigami ranks, and within their security division no less. However, the Captain of the 2nd Division was difficult for him to read, which unnerved him to no end, but in time he had no doubt that he could move past her and on with his true goal.

As he approached the 2nd Division, he decided to test its members by sneaking into their headquarters.

There were two guards stationed at the division's entrance, but getting past them was without effort. Several members of the division walked throughout the compound, either having friendly discussion, arguments over responsibilities, or other meaningless endeavors.

"_I would've expected more from a division focused on stealth" _Ichigo thought with slight disappointment.

He spotted the familiar form of Ōmaeda Marenoshin, along with his eye-catching gold chain and curly brown hair. Ichigo decided to toy with the worthless Lieutenant. As the rotund man walked past the members of the division, either abusing his power or treating them with his condescending attitude, Ichigo quickly flash-stepped behind the Lieutenant and stole his gold chain right off his thick neck. The arrogant noble fearfully looked in all directions as he felt his necklace being taken right out from under him, or rather behind him, spewing threats for the unknown thief.

Ichigo's disappointment in the squad only grew at this point, and thought he'd get a final verdict with the division's Captain.

He carefully approached the Captain's office and decided to lean on the side of caution, given his reservations about her already, and leaped on top of the roof. As he walked gracefully on the tile surface, not a sound being made, he overheard a commotion inside.

"You're overestimating that man, Yoruichi-sama" he heard a young girl proclaim.

"I don't think I'm overestimating him or underestimating him" the Captain replied.

"This is no joke!" the girl opposed.

Ichigo climbed through an opening in the rooftop and was able to get a view of the two talking. The young girl had very short black hair and a petite form, no one he recognized initially. The second being obvious, both in name and appearance. If she knew he was there spying she certainly didn't mind him overhearing this conversation, she looked almost bored while chewing on some sort of cookie.

"It's not as if I don't understand what you're thinking" the girl stated, while Yoruichi calmly took a sip from her glass.

"Allow me to say this! I believe that you were mistaken when you placed him in charge of the Special Forces Detention Unit" the girl continued.

"_The Special Forces Detention Unit...she's referring to the 3rd Seat then" _Ichigo recalled.

"The Detention Unit is a very important unit that watches and captures anyone who disturbs the peace. The man isn't qualified for such a position! He's dirty and stupid! He's nothing but a lump of laziness and mediocrity!" she ranted.

Yoruichi tilted her head in thought, "He's not much of a hard worker, I'll give you that."

Ichigo decided that now was as good a time as any to show himself, as a part of him happened to agree with the young girl, although his concerns were for the entire squad, not simply the 3rd seat.

He jumped down from the ceiling and landed right next to the young girl, now facing Yoruichi.

The young girl nearly wet herself in shock, while Yoruichi merely smirked, "Nice of you to join us, Ichigo."

Ichigo allowed the briefest of smirks to grace his face before vanishing behind the cold facade he adorned most of the time, "You noticed?"

Yoruichi's smirk widened, "I noticed you since you entered our division, you're not as subtle as you think."

The young girl simply looked back and forth between the two as they spoke to one another, either upset at this young man garnering the attention of Yoruichi, or surprised he was not scolded for eavesdropping, probably both.

Finally she spoke up, "Yoruichi-sama, who is this man!"

Yoruichi glanced back at the girl, "Calm down, he's a new member to our division."

Ichigo faced the young girl at looked her directly in the face, which unnerved her quite a bit, for what reason she could not discern, but held her ground nonetheless.

"My name is Soifon, I'm the 4th Seat of this division, your new superior" she boasted slightly.

At that point Ichigo paid her no mind and faced Yoruichi once more, "I'd like to fight your Lieutenant for his position."

At that statement Soifon was quite deflated of her confidence and quickly tried to think of some way to deter this man from jumping up the ladder, but wasn't fast enough to beat Yoruichi.

"Why should I do that?" she asked, her smirk still present on her face.

Ichigo reached inside his robes, which caused Soifon to become immediately defensive and reach for her sword.

"He won't get his gold necklace back" he replied, holding up the chain while ignoring Soifon's attempt to seem threatening.

Yoruichi let out a deep laugh, lightly clutching her side as she soon stifled her chuckles, "This should be entertaining."

Yoruichi and Ichigo soon left her office and went out on to the training grounds, Soifon quick on their heels.

"Ōmaeda!" Yoruichi bellowed.

Moments later the large Lieutenant came bellowing from around the corner, clearly out of breath and still visibly upset at the loss of his necklace.

"Yes Captain?" he asked, coming to halt in front of Yoruichi.

"Our new recruit has challenged you for the Lieutenant's position" she stated.

Ōmaeda sweat-dropped, his nervousness starting to show, "What new recruit?"

Yoruichi merely pointing behind her towards Ichigo who was waiting in the middle of a sparring section of the training grounds, twirling Ōmaeda's gold necklace in his fingers.

This caused the Lieutenant, much like before in the classroom, to go into a rage and immediately flash-stepped in front of Ichigo with his Zanpakuto already drawn.

"Alright punk, this time I won't hold back!" he gritted through his teeth before charging forward with his sword reeled back.

As Ōmaeda brought his sword down, Ichigo merely held out the gold necklace to block the attack, causing Ōmaeda to halt his sword for fear of breaking his precious jewelry in half.

Ichigo swiftly kicked Ōmaeda's sword out from his grasp, vaulting the blade several yards away, and began launching a volley of attacks to the man's body.

"You're pathetic" Ichigo said as he landed a kick to Ōmaeda's ribs.

The Lieutenant flash-stepped away from Ichigo to create some distance and recover from the assault.

Ichigo began walking towards him, purposely slow, "Would you let a human die if a hollow held your jewelry as ransom? Do your material possessions have that strong a hold on you, a man who holds a position of integrity?"

"W-what do you know, you're just a Rukongai commoner! You wouldn't know anything about a noble such as myself!" Ōmaeda proclaimed, an ever-growing fear becoming increasingly evident.

Ichigo wanted to hear no more and launched the gold necklace straight into Ōmaeda's face, breaking his nose and likely knocking several teeth out. He flash-stepped beside the Lieutenant before landing a spin kick to the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

"I know more than I would like" Ichigo said quietly, anger coating his words.

The members of the 2nd Division were speechless, including Soifon, but the silence was soon broken up when clapping broke out, from none other than Yoruichi.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Fushou" she said, a smirk on her face.

Ichigo resumed his usual posture before glancing at the 2nd Division Captain, his gaze just as unwavering as it was during his short fight with the now previous Lieutenant.

"It's not over just yet, Captain" Ichigo replied.

Yoruichi ceased in her applause, her smirk disappearing from her face, a questioning expression now prominent on her features.

"I challenge you."

**Chapter 5**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

My apologies again for the hiatus and rather long wait, but I'm back and full of excitement for this story again (for those of you unaware, the last time I updated this story with a chapter was September of 2011). I have at the very least three arcs planned, and I can't wait to write them! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	6. Chapter 6

"It's not over just yet, Captain" Ichigo replied.

Yoruichi ceased in her applause, her smirk disappearing from her face, a questioning expression now prominent on her features.

"I challenge you."

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 6**

The members in attendance were now filled with excitement, and the atmosphere within the 2nd Division was full of anxiousness. Their new Captain and Lieutenant were both going to fight, and no one knew just who would come out on top of the exchange, for little was known of either combatant.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Ichigo?" Yoruichi questioned, her smirk returning.

"Are you sure speaking to me in such a familiar way is a good idea?" Ichigo quipped back, his confidence matching hers in every way.

"Well then, care to make this spar a little more interesting?" she offered, still just as laid back as she had been while Soifon lectured her in the office.

Ichigo merely quirked an eyebrow at the statement.

"When I win, I'll keep referring to you in the familiar, with no complaints" she stated, a full grin on her features now.

Ichigo couldn't help but admire her confidence, he was actually getting excited for the fight, something he hadn't felt in decades.

His smirk faded away along with him as he flash-stepped behind Yoruichi and he calmly whispered into her ear, "I don't lose."

He launched a kick to her mid-section but was thoroughly surprised when she caught it underneath her arm and proceeded to throw him across the training grounds with little effort.

Ichigo twisted his body in the air and landed gracefully on his feet, shock evident in his eyes, but his excitement overcame his surprise in finding a worthy opponent.

"It looks like I'll have to thank you, Yoruichi" Ichigo said softly.

"Why's that, Ichigo?" she smiled at the familiarity they already shared only a minute within their fight.

"It has been a long time since I've been this...content" he replied before going on the offensive once again.

She smirked before narrowing her eyes as he came from the side with a spinning kick much like the one that knocked the previous Lieutenant unconscious. She ducked the kick, only to realize it was a feint, as he flash-stepped to her other side with a spinning low kick. Moments before his foot came in contact with her legs, she leapt backwards avoiding the attack.

Ichigo gave her no room to breath as he engaged her relentlessly, but it didn't seem to phase her, on the contrary she seemed to be enjoying herself quite thoroughly.

"It looks like I'll have to thank you as well, Ichigo" she said while trading punches and kicks with him.

Ichigo only smirked briefly before continuing his onslaught.

He aimed a spinning back kick at her head, but she brought up her own leg to block it, causing a light stinging sensation in his heel; he smiled.

"Either you're a masochist or really love to fight" Yoruichi commented as though their exchange was nothing more than a spar.

As Yoruichi aimed a kick to Ichigo's head, he caught her foot with his hand as he paused, confusion covering his face, "Masochist?"

Yoruichi laughed at Ichigo's ignorance before bringing up her other foot to break his hold, flipped backwards, and flash-stepped above him to bring down an axe kick.

Ichigo merely shook his thoughts away and continued fighting, side-stepping the kick and restraining her from behind, pausing the fight for the first time.

"Do you yield?" he whispered in her ear, his grip tightening between her arms.

"Ichigo, I didn't take you as a pervert" Yoruichi replied with a light tone.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock before he let go of her, redness lightly covering his cheeks in embarrassment. Yoruichi, however, used this opportunity to land a side-kick directly into his stomach, causing him to get the wind knocked out of him and marking the first hit to land since their fight began.

"I didn't expect those sort of tactics from you" Ichigo wheezed slightly.

Yoruichi smirked, something he was growing to dislike, "I doubt Ōmaeda expected you to use his gold necklace, but weaknesses are meant to be exploited in battle."

Ichigo didn't know whether he should be angry or humbled at her using his own tactics against him, he chose the latter, "Touché."

"I think that was a good warm up, how about we start taking this a little more seriously" she said with a grin.

After regaining his breath, Ichigo straightened his body before returning the grin, "I couldn't agree more."

They both raised their reiatsu, enough for every member of the division to have trouble both breathing and standing.

Ichigo was the first to attack, flash-stepping directly in front of her, letting loose an innumerable amount of punches, blurring together in a beautiful display of attacks. Yoruichi was able to deftly avoid the strikes, tilting her head and twisting her body in near impossible shapes and forms, but that only made Ichigo more excited.

Yoruichi caught one of his fists, and Ichigo quickly followed up with a front kick, which she caught under her arm, effectively halting him altogether.

They both stared at one another, playing a game of patience, but Ichigo merely smirked as he raised his finger at her, "Hadō #1. Shō" he all but whispered.

Yoruichi admired his use of the spell, but wasn't too surprised given his results in the Shinigami Academy.

Their battle soon took them out of the 2nd Division and Seireitei, crossing blows and attacks in the barren lands of Soul Society. This only allowed Ichigo to use more deadly spells in conjunction with his melee attacks, much to his delight.

Yoruichi aimed a side kick at Ichigo's arm.

"Bakudō # 8. Seki" Ichigo said, creating a small orb on his hand where Yoruichi's kick landed, causing her to be repelled sideways several dozen yards.

Ichigo flash-stepped towards her while casting yet another Kidō spell, "Bakudō #62. Hyapporankan" he said moments before flash-stepping above her, allowing the purple rods to bind her to the ground.

He aimed a punch infused with reiatsu towards her solar plexus, and as he came closer and closer to striking her, she flash-stepped out of the binding spell when he was but a breath away from landing his attack, causing him to create a deep crater in the ground.

As the battle waged on, Yoruichi was able to deftly avoid Ichigo's Kidō spells and melee strikes, if only barely. The scenery very much looked like a battlefield, and the reiatsu being generated was sure to raise eyebrows to everyone within the Seireitei.

Ichigo and Yoruichi were both sweating profusely at this point, their engagement exhausting quite a bit of their reiatsu, and Ichigo planned to execute a trap that ended this fight once and for all.

Ichigo pulled out his Zanpakuto, much to Yoruichi's surprise, before casting yet another spell, "Hadō #58. Tenran" creating a swirling funnel of wind directed at Yoruichi, and in her moment of shock at seeing his sword drawn was caught in the attack.

She managed to escape the whirlwind with a flash-step, but placed herself directly in the path of a spell Ichigo was casting while she was entrapped in the Tenran, "Hadō #88. Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō."

A gigantic beam of electrical and spiritual energy shot out of his outstretched palm towards the unprepared target, or so Ichigo thought.

Yoruichi flash-stepped moments before the beam overtook her and she appeared next to a Ichigo with a fist engulfed in white energy aimed directly for his head.

He wasn't expecting or prepared for her attack, and thinking quickly he casted a spell moments before her fist connected to the side of his head, "Bakudō # 81. Dankū!" he yelled.

Her fist connected with the barrier, causing it to shatter on impact and landed directly on Ichigo's temple, vaulting him dozens of yards sideways bouncing along the ground with a momentum he couldn't control despite his efforts.

Yoruichi landed gracefully on the ground as the white energy dissipated from her body. Ichigo, however, struggled to get back on his feet, but succeeded nonetheless.

As Ichigo stood, he sheathed his Zanpakuto and executed a poor flash-step towards Yoruichi in a vain attempt at continuing the battle, but the strike to his temple made staying conscious a battle within itself, let alone winning a fight against the 2nd Division Captain.

Yoruichi tilted her head to avoid Ichigo's fist, and as he stood in front of her, exhaustion and unconsciousness about to take over his body, he merely smiled at her before collapsing.

She caught his body, allowing him to lean on her form, before she flash-stepped away from the battle zone.

The first thing Ichigo felt as he regained consciousness was a throbbing headache, a sore body, and simple exhaustion. He then remembered his fight with Yoruichi, and as much as he might have wanted to feel disappointed in his performance, the excitement he felt at having a worthy superior, as much as that pained him to say, overwhelmed any negative feelings he might have had about the outcome of their "spar".

"Welcome back, _Ichigo_" a warm voice said.

"Captain" he grunted as he tried to sit himself up on the bad he laid on.

She placed a hand behind his back trying to help him sit up, but he stiffened at her touch, obviously uncomfortable with the contact.

"You certainly had no problem touching me a couple of hours ago, Ichigo" Yoruichi half teased.

Ichigo looked at her, before staring down into his lap, deep in thought before he said softly, "I..." and paused, trying to gather the words, "I'm a different person when fighting."

Yoruichi didn't really understand what he meant, but decided to respect his boundaries nonetheless.

"What did you hit me with, I've never seen an attack quite like that before" Ichigo commented as he stretched his stiff body.

Yoruichi smirked, "It's something new I've been working on. If you hadn't cast that barrier you would've been out for more than a couple hours."

"So I was correct in presuming it to be some form of Kidō, but its power is that of a level 90 spell if it broke through Dankū so easily" Ichigo rationalized.

Yoruichi was about to comment until a voice interrupted their conversation, "Our patient has woken up it seems" a woman said while approaching his cot.

Ichigo glanced up and was momentarily shocked, eyes wide with despair, before he quickly composed himself.

"Are you okay, Fushou-san?" the woman asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Sorry, thought you were someone else" he replied quietly.

"Ichigo, this is Unohana Retsu, Captain of the 4th Division" Yoruichi said, trying to change the topic.

"4th Division" he said aloud, "given where I'm at, I assume this is the healing division then?" Ichigo questioned.

"You are correct, Fushou-san" Unohana replied before sitting down on Ichigo's cot and running a diagnostic Kidō over his body.

"Your reiatsu is fully restored, other than some soreness you should be fine" she stated.

"Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience Captain Unohana" Yoruichi apologized before standing up.

"I understand this was your first day in the Gotei 13. I certainly hope this isn't a hint at things to come, Fushou-san" Unohana said with an eerie smile.

A bead of sweat trickled down Yoruichi's forehead as Unohana's smile unnerved her to no end, but it didn't seem to phase Ichigo in the slightest, much to Unohana's surprise.

Ichigo merely stood up from his cot and walked away, but not before saying, "I can't make any promises, Captain Unohana" and walked out of the ward.

Yoruichi gave a reassuring smile before quickly following Ichigo out of the division.

He was waiting for her, his strong posture and passive face returning, and any signs that he had been in a grueling fight were certainly not discernible. As she approached him, she reached within her Captain's robe and pulled out an arm-band.

She tossed him the arm-band which he easily caught, "Congratulations, Lieutenant Fushou."

He simply nodded in acknowledgment before strapping the band around his left arm.

"I'm curious though" she said while he adjusted the band, "why didn't you use your Zanpakuto?"

Ichigo paused in his adjustment, and slowly looked up at his Captain, "If I couldn't defeat you without my Zanpakuto, using it wouldn't have made much of a difference since you too have a Zanpakuto" he stated simply.

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at his reasoning, "Well, that's a habit we're going to have to fix" she said before walking away.

Ichigo had a faraway look on his face and replied softly, "It's the way I was trained..."

* Flashback *

"_You're hesitating Ichigo"_

_A young Ichigo wiped the sweat off his brow, "I don't want to hurt you!" he reasoned._

_The woman smiled softly before appearing behind Ichigo with her sword coming at him as to cut him in half at the waist, "You're fighting against fear" she said with a deathly quality._

_Ichigo's eyes widened in shock as he quickly brought his sword up to parry the attack, shutting his eyes as their blades made contact with one another._

_She pressed down upon his blade, "Open your eyes Ichigo."_

_Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, scared of what he saw in the woman's face._

_She quickly brought up a foot and kicked Ichigo's blade from his outstretched hands, launching his sword off into the distance._

"_Do not fight fear, Ichigo. Do not tremble in fear's presence. Do not keep fear at arm's length" she said warmly._

_Ichigo stood there, rooted in place, his breathing erratic, but mesmerized by the woman's eyes and the sound of her voice._

"_Welcome fear into your heart, Ichigo. Fight alongside it. Embrace it. Wrap it around your soul" she continued as they stared deeply into each others eyes._

_Ichigo began to relax is muscles, his legs feeling a little more loose than before. He steadied his breathing, and slowly but surely he began to understand fear while gazing into the woman's soul._

"_Become fear itself, Ichigo, and only then will you understand the will of others" she said before abruptly bringing down her blade towards his shoulder. Ichigo continued to stare into her eyes, almost in a trance, and even when the blade dug into his skin and opened his flesh, his gaze remained unflinching and a smile graced his face._

"_Fear will bring you the truth in both life and death, my dear Ichigo" she said with a smile._

_As she removed her blade, he stood there unmoving until they were interrupted._

"_The prototype is ready Äs" a man stated._

_The woman continued smiling down at Ichigo before softly whispering in his ear, "Go get your Zanpakuto while I speak with Haschwald."_

_Ichigo slowly walked to where his Zanpakuto landed while Äs approached the man, "I don't like it Haschwald."_

_The man's expression softened, "It was the condition his majesty made for you to keep the boy."_

"_I wouldn't want to go upsetting 'his majesty' now would I" she said sardonically before taking the item from the man's hand._

"_Just place it around the boy's neck, over time it will become attuned to his reiatsu and we can make adjustments later" Haschwald stated before walking away, just as Ichigo returned with Zanpakuto in hand._

_Äs eyed the fleeting form of Haschwald before she looked back at Ichigo, her expression softening at the sight of him._

_As she healed his shoulder wound, she quietly said, "From now on I want you to wear this medallion around your neck, but we won't be fighting with our swords anymore, do you understand?"_

_Ichigo smiled up at the woman and lightly nodded his head._

_Äs returned the smile, doing her best to restrain tears from coming down her face._

_* _End Flashback *

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo shook his head, trying to ignore the thoughts intruding into the forefront of his mind.

He looked expectantly at Yoruichi.

"Come on, we've got a meeting to attend" she said before walking away, with Ichigo soon following.

They walked in silence for some time before Ichigo asked, "Do you know what this meeting is about?"

Yoruichi glanced back before looking forward, "I recommended our 3rd seat for a Captain's position, this is a ceremony to commemorate his promotion."

Ichigo recalled the conversation she and Soifon had earlier today concerning the 3rd seat, even he had to admit he was slightly curious as to who this person was given all the commotion surrounding him.

They made there way for the 1st Division, and after several corridors and hallways soon joined another Captain heading for the meeting.

"Captain Kuchiki" Yoruichi acknowledged with a respectful tone.

"Captain Shihōin. Congratulations on your recent promotion" he said, and glanced towards Ichigo, "to the both of you, it seems."

The man had an elderly appearance, wrinkles adorning his features and long white hair draping on his shoulders, but wisdom and strength bore true beneath his eyes.

"Captain Kuchiki, this is my new Lieutenant, Fushou Ichigo. Ichigo, this is Captain of the 6th Division and Head of the Kuchiki Noble Family" Yoruichi introduced.

Ichigo, bowed ever so slightly despite his dislike for nobility, while the Captain gave a slight nod.

The three of them walked towards the meeting room in comfortable silence until they came across a group of Shinigami blocking the hall, much to chagrin of Captain Kuchiki.

"What's all this! Can I get through, please?" he said with authority.

The Shinigami quickly made room for the Captain and Ichigo immediately recognized one of the voices, "Our apologies!"

"_Aizen Sōsuke" _Ichigo thought as they walked past the Shinigami. Ichigo paid them no attention and kept his gaze in front of him, careful to not draw unnecessary attention to himself with so many eyes in the vicinity.

He could feel their eyes as he walked past them, but he remained unaffected as his eyes were closed and his posture remained relaxed, an aura of tranquility he maintained throughout his days as an academy student.

"Congratulations" Captain Unohana stated.

Yoruichi looked back at the 4th Division Captain and merely replied, "If you're going to congratulate someone, shouldn't it be the person in question, Captain Unohana?" she nodded before walking away.

"What's up?" a Captain with long blonde hair said as Yoruichi walked past him, "Some newbie's the 2nd Division's..." he said until Ichigo walked past him, which caused him to pause as the Captain seemed to look past Ichigo's stoicism.

"_He has the same symbol that Aizen has, that must be his Captain" _Ichigo observed while he walked behind Yoruichi.

They all soon found themselves inside the meeting room and lined up, awaiting the newest Captain.

Ichigo could feel him approaching the meeting room at a hurried pace, soon to be followed by his rather loud footsteps.

He opened his eyes to see the door open, where stood a man clearly uncomfortable with being late, "Uh oh! Don't tell me I'm the last one to get here?" he said with uncertainty.

Aizen's Captain already had an opinion on the newcomer, "It looks like a real flake's joined us" he stated.

The Captain standing beside him however had quite a rebuttal, "You're one to talk."

"Um...Mind if I come in?" the man said awkwardly.

"Quit screwing around! You're a Captain now! Come in with a little dignity, Kisuke" Yoruichi scolded.

"S-sure..." the man replied.

All Ichigo could do was mentally shake his head in disappointment, he now understood why Soifon was so adamantly opposed to the man. However, Yoruichi was the one who recommended this Kisuke in the first place, so there had to be more to this person than mere stage fright.

His musings were interrupted when he heard another voice, "That's right! Hurry up and get in!"

A man with an age resembling Captain Kuchiki, hit Kisuke in the back with a wooden cane and walked into the meeting room.

After pounding the floor with his cane, he said, "We shall now begin with welcoming ceremony for our newest member!"

As the elderly man, who Ichigo could only assume was the Captain-Commander, took his place at the head of the meeting, he could only think of one thing: power.

"_This certainly makes things a little more difficult" _Ichigo pondered while he tried to get a read on the Captain-Commander.

"I believe that some of you have already heard about this, but seven days ago Captain Hikifune Kirio from the 12th Division was ordered to relinquish her post here so that she could be promoted. As such, the same day she was promoted we began searching for a new Captain, and sent out notifications to each of you relaying as much. The following day, Captain Shihōin Yoruichi from the 2nd Division nominated her 3rd Seat for the position, and I had him brought to me. Yesterday I, Yamamoto Genryuusai, along with three other Captains, held the Captain Qualification Exam to see if he was worthy of this position. We determined that both his knowledge and personality were acceptable. As such former 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division, Urahara Kisuke, is now the new Captain for the 12th Division" the Captain-Commander said with authority.

Not long after, everyone gave their congratulations to the newest Captain, Yoruichi and himself included.

"Don't worry Kisuke, it'll be fun" Yoruichi said with reassurance.

The man laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head, but soon noticed Ichigo and his nervousness was soon replaced with curiosity, "Who's this Yoruichi-san? What happened to Ōmaeda-san?"

Yoruichi glanced back at Ichigo before replying, "Meet my new Lieutenant, Fushou Ichigo."

Urahara smiled, "Congratulations Fushou-san."

Ichigo merely nodded in thanks.

This caught the attention of one of the other Captains, "Fushou?"

The three of them looked over at a Captain with black sunglasses and an afro type of hairstyle.

"Captain Aikawa?" Yoruichi said.

"My Lieutenant was forced to retire because of a scuffle he had at the Shinigami entrance exams with someone sharing that name" the Captain stated.

If Ichigo was nervous he certainly didn't show it, "My apologies Captain Aikawa. He was rather upset at being embarrassed" Ichigo replied calmly.

"Eh, he was always bit of a hothead. It's just a pain in the ass trying to find a new Lieutenant" the Captain said offhandedly.

Internally he was relieved, and Yoruichi took this opportunity to point out all the Captains to him.

The one called Hirako Shinji happily introduced himself however, with his Lieutenant in tow.

"So, ya made work of Love's Lieutenant while you were enrollin' in the Shinigami Academy, eh? That's pretty impressive kid" he said with a friendly tone and wide grin.

"This is my Lieutenant..." he said before Ichigo finished for him, "Aizen Sōsuke. We've been introduced" Ichigo said calmly, staring at Aizen with a passive face.

Aizen merely smiled, "Fushou-san made quite the impression at the Kidō Training Grounds during my visit to the Shinigami Academy."

They stared at one another, both wearing masks, and both with ulterior motives.

Shinji, however, was keen on noticing that something was amiss between the two people in front of him.

**Chapter 6**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Hadō #1. Shō (衝, Thrust) - Rudimentary Hadō. Inflicts impact instead of damage. The practitioner points at the target with his/her index finger and generates a small force that thrusts the target back a few feet away from the caster.

Bakudō # 8. Seki (斥, Repulse) - Seki is primarily used for deflection. The practitioner generates an orb of light blue energy that rebounds an attack when said attack makes contact with it. The effect not only blocks the attack, but repels whatever strikes it.

Bakudō #62. Hyapporankan (百歩欄干, Hundred Steps Fence) - Hyapporankan is primarily used to disable. The practitioner generates a blue-white glowing rod of energy in his or her hand and throws it at the intended target. It then duplicates itself into a hundred more rods which rain down on the target, pinning him or her against a solid surface and completely immobilizing them.

Hadō #58. Tenran (闐嵐, Orchid Sky) - Tenran is primarily used for offense. The practitioner levitates his/her Zanpakutō and lightly hits one end causing it to spin like a fan. The practitioner then stops it and invokes a widening tornado-like blast which is fired forward toward the target.

Hadō #88. Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō (飛竜撃賊震天雷炮, Flying Dragon-Striking Heaven-Shaking Thunder Cannon) - A high-level Hadō that only master-class Kidō users can use. The practitioner raises his/her arm forward and outstretched, occasionally using their free hand to grip the firing arm for extra support, with the palm facing flat toward the target and fires a gigantic beam of electrical and spiritual energy powerful enough to produce an enormous explosion.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I figured given the fact that this story has been on a year hiatus, I would release another chapter this week as a form of an apology. I know some of you were expecting (or hoping) that Ichigo would defeat Yoruichi, but I don't want to make the common mistake of making the character too much of a Mary-Sue. I have a lot of back-story planned, and plenty of development in store for Ichigo and I want to take it slowly.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	7. Chapter 7

Aizen merely smiled, "Fushou-san made quite the impression at the Kidō Training Grounds during my visit to the Shinigami Academy."

They stared at one another, both wearing masks, and both with ulterior motives.

Shinji, however, was keen on noticing that something was amiss between the two people in front of him.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 7**

Ichigo lay in his bed, his mind dwelling on the situation he now found himself in, or rather jumped into, that had caused several restless nights. The path he vowed to take now had an increasing number of obstacles; a web of deception and distrust he had to traverse that certainly made his goal all the more difficult.

His minor confrontation with Aizen didn't draw too much attention from the other Captains, but it was enough for the seed of distrust to be planted, awareness and attention were sure to grow, and the swords of fate had increased yet again.

Ichigo inwardly sighed, he wasn't very adept at maneuvering through the growing politics while formulating a plan of deceit. Infiltrating, assassinating, and escape, those were his tools of trade. He knew where the Central 46 was, he knew some of their defenses, but he didn't know all of them, and therein lied his dilemma. If he wanted to succeed and escape, he needed all the facts, but gathering all the facts without causing suspicion was the trick, especially now that a growing number of people took note of his actions. Then again, what would be the point of escape? He never really considered life after he had his revenge. Would he be content with imprisonment or execution?

This train of thought brought on more questions than answers, and much to his annoyance he fell short of answers. He couldn't dwell on it any further however as the door to his quarters was slid open, revealing Captain Yoruichi with that ever-present grin on her face, "Wake up Ichigo!"

He didn't visibly react at her abrupt entrance, he merely glanced at her before returning his gaze back to the roof of his quarters, "I've been awake for quite some time."

She walked in and sat herself down next to his bed on the floor, "All the more reason to get up then."

Since his first morning at the 2nd Division, Yoruichi would barge into his room to wake him up, ignoring his privacy and lack of garb. His protests were ignored after the first morning, and so he begrudgingly ignored the invasion of personal space the second morning and mornings following.

He momentarily closed his eyes while inhaling a deep breath, and with a slow exhale let his concerns and worries abate so he could focus on his tasks for the day. After calming his mind and relaxing his body, he got out of bed and walked over to his closet, grabbing his Shinigami uniform.

Yoruichi eyes followed Ichigo's form as he walked towards his closet, the scars that littered his body bringing both curiosity and concern to the forefront of her mind. His chest and back looked like a scratching post and cutting board, some of the scars being both long and deep, "When are you gonna tell me about those scars?" she asked.

Ichigo merely continued putting on his uniform, as if he didn't hear her question at all, but they both knew that he did. She asked him the same question every morning. He turned around, uniform now firmly wrapped around his body, and walked towards the door. As his hand reached to slide the door open, he paused before looking over his shoulder at Yoruichi, "They are irrelevant, much like my past."

Yoruichi narrowed her eyes, more out of frustration than concern, but still feeling both as she walked up to him, "We're comrades. I need to know that I can trust you." Yoruichi then opened the door and walked out, with Ichigo soon to follow.

They walked in silence as they exited the 2nd Division, and Yoruichi then broke into flash-step, Ichigo managing to keep up with her pace. Where they were going he knew not, and asking her would do nothing but remind him that she was upset. They eventually approached the side of a cliff, which was directly beneath the execution grounds, and Yoruichi leapt into a concealed passageway.

Ichigo cautiously followed, unsure of the nature of their detour, and as light invaded his vision once more he was a bit awestruck at what he saw; a massive cavern dug underneath Sōkyoku Hill.

"_Where is the light coming from I wonder" _Ichigo thought curiously.

"Urahara built this when we were kids so we'd have a place to play and train" Yoruichi stated, interrupting Ichigo's musings, "now let's spar."

It was not a request, and even if he refused she would attack him anyway, her mood not withstanding. There was no warning, no warm up, and no holding back, at least on her part. He could tell she was in a sour mood, most likely due to his reluctance to share details of his past, more specifically how he acquired the scars that adorned his body.

After an hour of merely defending, Ichigo began to retaliate, and after another hour of them both fighting at a level that was far beyond what could be called a spar, sweat and deep breaths could be heard from them both.

They both separated and tried to catch their breath as they stood in front of one another, maintaining eye contact and having very different thoughts.

"_Stubborn bastard" _she thought angrily.

Ichigo, on the other hand, had some conflicting thoughts, "_She brought me here not to simply spar. This place was secret, as was its origins, and she revealed both. Perhaps it was a gesture of good faith so I would answer her question, but what is her motive? Does she truly wish to know me for the sake of trust?"_

Ichigo paused in his thoughts, realization gracing his troubled mind, "_If I didn't think I could trust her, I wouldn't be struggling with an answer to my questions."_

Ichigo took a breath before resuming the battle between himself and Yoruichi.

"My scars" he began, which caught Yoruichi by surprise, evident by the fact that Ichigo landed a kick to her midsection, "are from training with my sensei."

Yoruichi drove her foot upwards into a spinning back kick, which Ichigo caught and held her in place with, "Don't" he said softly staring at the ground.

He looked up at her face, "Don't look at me with pity."

Ichigo threw her foot down, the momentum causing her to lean forward, which he took advantage of by landing an upper-cut to her chin, vaulting her backwards into the rocks.

Yoruichi lay in the rocks, by choice, contemplating his words. Ichigo flash-stepped in front of her, reaching out and offering his hand in help. She looked into his eyes before nodding her head in agreement before taking hold of his hand. Ichigo pulled her up, while Yoruichi smirked halfway and exerted enough force to lift herself up and bring Ichigo down into the rubble.

She laughed before stretching her body and walking away towards the exit, "Let's go Ichigo, quit lying around" she said teasingly.

Ichigo inwardly smiled, thankful that he didn't have to regret opening up to her, albeit briefly, "Ah" he acknowledged.

The atmosphere heading back towards the 2nd Division was much more cheerful than it was this morning, or rather, Yoruichi was in a better mood.

"Tell me Ichigo" Yoruichi said, breaking their comfortable silence, "What do you know about the Onmitsukidō."

Ichigo considered the question briefly before replying, "Only what they taught at the Shinigami Academy..."

* Flashback *

_It was Ichigo and Gin's second day in Section One of Soul Society History & Law, and once again Hashimoto-sensei was at the front of the classroom lecturing to the students._

"_As promised we will be discussing both the Onmitsukidō and Kidō Corps today" he began as he started writing on the board._

"_The Onmitsukidō is the second largest organization that prospective students such as yourselves may join, and as we discussed yesterday it is one of the three main branches of military in Soul Society. Although separate from the Gotei 13, because the Commander-in-Chief also took the post of division captain within the Gotei 13, the Onmitsukidō has direct influence over said division. Does anyone know which division is tied directly with the Onmitsukidō?" he questioned, looking expectantly at his students._

_Ichigo raised his hand, and after being called out clearly stated, "The 2nd Division."_

"_Correct!" he beamed with excitement, "Now, the Onmitsukidō answers directly to the Central 46, as do the Gotei 13 and Kidō Corps, with neither of the organizations having authority over the other. The Onmitsukidō and Gotei 13 do share an interesting dynamic however; if the Gotei 13 operate openly, the Onmitsukidō patrols and conducts surveillance in enemy territory and carries out top-secret operations, such as assassination and the execution of Shinigami who have broken the law. If the Gotei 13 are considered an exterior guard, then then Onmitsukidō is an interior, covert guard."_

_Hashimoto-sensei stepped over to an empty space on the board and continued writing bullet points as he lectured, "The Commander-in-Chief has statuary authority to conduct all the affairs of the Onmitsukidō, while deferring to the authority of the Central 46 in matters involving the Soul Society and the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 in all military matters. Corps Commander is the rank given to each one of the five divisions of the Onmitsukidō. The five divisions are each tasked with one or more of the responsibilities of the Onmitsukidō; it should be noted that the first division has the most authority, with the fifth and last division carries the least. Let us now discuss the Kidō Corps..."_

* End Flashback *

They made their way into her office, where she removed her Captain's Haori and plopped herself down, obviously spent from their spar this morning, "Let me fill you in on the rest" she said with a smile.

"The fifth branch, or Inner Court Troop, serves as the information transmission unit within the Seireitei. A special ops unit that is mobilized whenever a mission is urgent and requires secrecy. The fourth branch, or Noble Security Unit, provide personal security for important nobles or royal artifacts. The third branch, or Detention Unit, is responsible for the imprisonment and supervision of all criminals within the Seireitei. They are also responsible for Special Detention, which concerns those who joined the Gotei 13 but were judged to be a danger to their fellow Shinigami."

That last bit of information acquired Ichigo's undivided attention as he paid extra attention to the details Yoruichi was relaying to him.

"The second branch, or Patrol Corps, are part of the intelligence gathering within the Seireitei. They gather data on uprisings, and in the event of those under house arrest escape, they are tasked with finding and apprehending them. The first branch, or Executive Militia, carry out missions that involve combat. They're responsible for the punishment and assassination of ex-_comrades_ who break the law and act as scouts during battles against Hollows" she said, emphasizing on the term comrades, obviously trying to get a point across.

Yoruichi stood from her seat and walked out to the railing which overlooked the division before continuing, "Generally the seat an officer holds in the 2nd Division correlates to the division they oversee. Since Marenoshin Ōmaeda is retiring and no longer Lieutenant of the 2nd Division, that means the Corps Commander of the Patrol Corps need to be filled."

Ichigo realized the direction the conversation, and just when he was about to speak up he was cut off by Yoruichi, "Yes, normally that would be you, however..." she paused before turning around and looking at him, "I will be fulfilling that role."

Perhaps she didn't trust him enough for that position, or she had doubts about his intentions, either way Ichigo could only speculate on the matter, although what she said next completely caught him off guard, "You will be the Corps Commander of the Executive Militia."

"_She's more insightful than I give her credit for" _Ichigo thought as he noticed that the Executive Militia played to his strengths, while the Patrol Corps was territory he had less experience in, relatively speaking compared to the responsibilities of the Executive Militia.

"C'mon" she chirped, "Let's go make the announcement to the rest of the division" and she began walking to the training grounds, while Ichigo once again followed.

It didn't take them very long to arrive at the training grounds, where much of the division's members spent their time, Soifon included. Upon Yoruichi clearing her throat, she acquired the attention of every one present as they took a knee out of respect.

"Lieutenant Fushou will be taking over as Corps Commander for the Executive Militia, while I will be overseeing the Patrol Corps. I expect those of you in the first division to treat him with the same respect you treated me, that is all" she finished.

There was a collective shout in acknowledgment before they returned to their training, all with the exception of one person, Soifon.

Yoruichi turned towards Ichigo, "I'm going to pay a visit to the Kuchiki manor, feel free to familiarize yourself with the division, maybe give them a few pointers on their training" she said before flash-stepping out of sight.

Ichigo decided that observing his follow division members might be an educational experience, whether it be some unique style or simply gauge an individual's attitude or personality.

As he walked along the lines of individuals performing katas or pairs fighting each other, he would point out slight changes they could make to improve their technique or performance, which was met with respectful appreciation, up until he came to the 4th Seat, Soifon.

"If you tuck your elbow in slightly it will help with your balance" he critiqued, much to the chagrin of Soifon, who made her displeasure known verbally.

"I did not ask for your advice, _Lieutenant_!" she nearly shouted.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, "Do you have issue with me, 4th Seat?" he asked calmly.

Soifon ceased her kata and turned to face Ichigo directly, "Yoruichi-sama may acknowledge you as her Lieutenant, but I will not!"

Her displeasure was soon gaining the attention of the members training, curious at the argument developing between their Lieutenant and 4th Seat.

"Tell me 4th Seat, do you always question the Captain's decisions of appointment?" he asked still unperturbed by her growing anger.

His question left Soifon tongue-tied, which only infuriated her more, "I suggest you examine your worth before questioning the worth of another" he stated before walking down the line of people once more.

Soifon clenched her teeth before returning back to her katas, envisioning the Lieutenant in front of her, unleashing her frustrations on the imaginary opponent.

Ichigo glanced around the training grounds, noticing the attention their minor argument garnered, "If you have time to stare then you're not training hard enough!" he said loud enough for all of them to hear, causing the members to quickly return back to their training routines.

* Elsewhere in Soul Society *

"By the way Byakuya, could you finish up today's training? You've got a guest" Ginrei Kuchiki said to his grandson.

"A guest?" the young boy said with a perplexed look on his face, until a pair of large breasts tapped him on the side of the head, causing him to narrow his eyes and furrow his brows in agitation.

"It's you, you were-cat!" he yelled as he tried hitting his 'guest' with his kendo stick resulting in a failed attempt, much to his annoyance.

She laughed while dodging the attack with a back handspring before crossing her arms, "Calling me a were-cat's not a very nice greeting, kid! And here I came to play with you!"

Byakuya took a step forward aggressively, "Silence! When did I ask you to come and 'play'?! Besides, I'm the next head of the Kuchiki family, I don't need to play!"

"Really?" she said, before flash-stepping next to him and stealing his hair band, effectively undoing his ponytail, much to his displeasure and her amusement.

"Bitch!" he yelled while trying to strike her again with his kendo stick, and again failing in the attempt.

She stood atop one of the walls of the Kuchiki manor, laughing and twirling his hair band, "I fear for the future of the Kuchiki family if a little girl can steal your hair band while just _playing_!"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, "Don't you dare move, Shihōin Yoruichi!" he said, eye twitching at her remarks, "I'll use my flash-step to-" he began saying before Yoruichi cut him off.

"Kuchiki Byakuya, you lost!" she proclaimed before flash-stepping out of sight.

Byakuya shook with anger, "I see! So you really want to tick me off! Very well. Then I will have to show you...that my flash-step surpassed yours a long time ago!" he finished saying before giving chase to the were-cat.

* Back at the 2nd Division *

Ichigo was continuing to give advice to his fellow members of the 2nd Divison when he sensed someone approaching their training grounds, it was Yoruichi.

She abruptly appeared in front of him, not phasing him in the slightest as he raised a curious eyebrow. A wide grin spread across her face, one that spoke more of mischievousness than anything else. He was...relieved that her unusually fast flash-stepping wasn't the result of bad news, an emotion that was new and something that thoroughly confused him. However, he was brought out of his thoughts when she handed him a hair band, "Hold on to this at all costs, that's an order!" she said before flash-stepping away.

She was obviously pulling some sort of prank on some poor soul, but he was given an order, and despite however mundane it sounded, he had appearances to maintain.

Not a moment longer and a boy soon arrived to the scene, his eyes searching for someone, or _something_ rather as his eyes locked onto the hair band that was held in Ichigo's hand.

"You, give me that at once!" the boy ordered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, boy" Ichigo said.

**Chapter 7**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

I included a lot of canon script in this chapter, primarily because I didn't want to assume that every reader is up to date on this information, and I'm trying to tie a lot of things together with this story and the canon.

If you have questions or comments, leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	8. Chapter 8

Not a moment longer and a boy soon arrived to the scene, his eyes searching for someone, or _something_ rather as his eyes locked onto the hair band that was held in Ichigo's hand.

"You, give me that at once!" the boy ordered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, boy" Ichigo said.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 8**

"Do you understand what you are asking, Captain Hirako Shinji?" the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 asked solemnly as he sat behind his desk in the 1st Division.

The hunched Captain of the 5th Division, with half-lidded eyes, casually replied, "Ah, Captain-Commander."

The Captain-Commander exhaled with a sigh, feeling especially heavy while sitting in his chair, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him for just but a moment before he regained his strength, the likes of which have not been surpassed by anyone in one thousand years, "Do you have any evidence to support your suspicions?"

Shinji merely looked up while scratching the back of his head, as if they were having a discussion over this month's Seireitei Communication magazine, "It's as I already told you Captain-Commander, I don't like the look of him, and my gut is tellin' me not to trust him one bit."

The Captain-Commander opened his eyes ever so slightly, "Very well, I shall inform the Central 46 since it involves a Lieutenant, along with your recommendation."

Shinji merely smiled widely before nodding and leaving the Captain-Commander's office.

* Elsewhere, Soul Society *

"I said give it to me!" Byakuya yelled angrily as he planted his feet in the ground and flared his arms out aggressively.

Ichigo merely eyed the boy, both amusement and curiosity dancing in his eyes, "Do not make me repeat myself, boy."

The last drop of restraint Byakuya had evaporated and he rushed towards the 2nd Division Lieutenant with a flash-step, which was quite impressive given his age, but not nearly impressive enough to concern Ichigo.

Byakuya swung his Shinai in a sideways arc in an attempt to strike Ichigo on the side of the temple, but Ichigo simply brought up his forearm to block the attack. The Shinai touched his forearm and split in two the moment it made contact, much to Byakuya's surprise.

"You have no weapon, and will have much less if you continue to remain in my division, boy" Ichigo said with no friendliness in the tone of his voice whatsoever.

"As the future head of the Kuchiki Clan I will not be ordered around by the likes of..." Byakuya spouted, but not before Ichigo flash-stepped behind him, grabbed the back of his robe, and vaulted him like a javelin out of the 2nd Division.

He flew farther away into the sky, likely yelling obscenities, but the sight and sound of him both faded into the distance.

The 2nd Division members who were training on the grounds all chuckled at the sight, that is, until Ichigo interrupted their collective laugh, "As I said before, if you have enough time to stare, then you are not training hard enough! Back to work or you will end up with a worse fate than that boy!"

Most of them choked on their laugh trying to quiet themselves, one even stumbled in his footing and almost lost his balance, but all of them obeyed immediately and went back to their katas and spars.

Ichigo glanced over at the one of the individuals who remained vigilant in his training without Ichigo having to criticize him at all, "You" he acknowledged the man.

The man stopped his kata before standing about face and bowing at the waist, "Sir!"

Ichigo stepped towards him, gauging his reiatsu, before asking, "What is your name and rank?"

The man came up from his bow, revealing a strong muscular build, with chin-length blueish hair that was rather unkempt, "Amagai Shūsuke, 5th Seat!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow when he mentioned his rank, as he imagined it would've been slightly higher given his reiatsu, "You will oversee their training in my absence."

Amagai's eyes widened slightly in surprise, glancing over at the 4th Seat, "But sir, I am outranked by 4th Seat Soifon, it would be...improper" he said.

Ichigo simply turned around to address the men and women training, "5th Seat Amagai will be overseeing your training while I'm gone, _all of you_ will answer to him" he stated, looking directly at Soifon to make his point clear.

Even at this distance, he could see the clenched teeth and narrowing eyes of Soifon as she did her best to contain her anger, much to his satisfaction.

* Somewhere in the sky, Soul Society *

Byakuya was in quite the predicament. He was flying probably fifty feet or more above the ground within the Seireitei, so he couldn't gather reiryoku under his feet to walk on the air. The momentum itself was preventing him from even turning his body, let alone adjusting his position for a less dangerous landing.

He was profusely worried. He couldn't do anything, and whether it was by accident or intentional, he was actually heading directly for the Kuchiki Estate. Byakuya, the next head of the Noble Kuchiki Clan, was going to die in a crater made by his body at his own home. His fear of death, and the embarrassment brought by how he would die was all that plagued his mind, so much so that he didn't notice the fast approaching figure underneath him.

The figure leapt off one of the many walls of Seireitei, vaulting upwards into the sky where it intercepted Byakuya, grabbed him by his robes, and brought him back down to the ground.

They landed, either by accident or intentionally, directly in front of Kuchiki Ginrei, 6th Division Captain and current head of the Kuchiki Family.

Byakuya was starting to think that the direction he was thrown, and now the point of landing, were all on purpose, which he more or less confirmed at the sight of his savior, Lieutenant Fushou of the 2nd Division.

"What is the meaning of this, Lieutenant Fushou?" Ginrei asked curiously.

Ichigo gave the same slight bow as he did when they were first introduced, "Captain Kuchiki."

The Captain glanced at Byakuya, who averted his grandfather's gaze, much like a child in trouble.

"I merely evicted the boy from the 2nd Division. Nobility or not, I cannot allow individuals to run rampant on our grounds, especially given our need for secrecy. I'm sure his little trip at one hundred feet above the Seireitei will make him think twice about his rash behavior" Ichigo half explained and half lectured, before placing a hair band on the ground and departing.

After noticing the hair band, Ginrei was sure this was some sort of plan conspired by Captain Shihōin. He merely shook his head, slightly exasperated, before closing his eyes and walking away from the scene.

Byakuya merely sat there, thoroughly bewildered. Meanwhile, Ichigo decided that now would be a good time for him to do a little bit of research, and no better place to start than the Spirit Library.

Since he now bore the rank of Lieutenant, he had no need to sneak into the Spirit Library as he had full access, much to his convenience. He settled for walking there at a casual pace, for he was in no hurry.

He passed by several Shinigami, all thoroughly busy with their workloads for the day, although they still had the presence of mind to stand aside for Ichigo as he walked down the hallways of the Seireitei.

Eventually Ichigo found himself at the familiar corridor that led into the Spirit Library, however something or rather someone caught his attention, causing him to halt from entering through the doorway and instead continued walking.

Ichigo stopped in front of the person and knelt in front of them, "Are you lost little one?" he asked softly.

The child, who appeared to be already nervous as it was, frantically searched for the voice she heard, staring wide-eyed as she took in Ichigo's appearance, "Umm..." was also she could sputter as she nervously shuffled a book that was in her hands.

Ichigo's eyes softened at her anxiety, "I am Lieutenant Fushou of the 2nd Division. What is your name?"

She held her gaze at the ground beneath, but managed a reply nonetheless, "Ise Nanao. I'm part of the 8th Division" she finished quickly as if she would forget the words.

She stood at about three and a half feet, with short black hair and large spectacles.

"Well" Ichigo pondered, "the 8th Division isn't anywhere near here. Are you looking for someone?"

She turned her book sideways, trying to keep her eyes occupied so she didn't have to look up, before she lightly nodded her head.

"If you tell me who you are looking for, I'm sure we can find them" he offered before standing back upright.

"Well, umm, normally Lieutenant Yadōmaru reads with me at the beginning of every month, and when I couldn't find her at our division I became worried" she said quietly.

"Lieutenant Yadōmaru hmm?" Ichigo said aloud, more to himself than the young child before him.

Ichigo closed his eyes, concentrating on the reiatsu signature he memorized when Yoruichi introduced him to all the Captains and Lieutenants at Urahara's ceremony, and he quickly found it over at the 8th Division.

"Found her, she's back at your division. I'll walk you there" Ichigo said, before walking towards the reiatsu signature. Young Nanao frantically regained her wits before trailing behind Ichigo, using her small legs to try and make up the distance between them as to not lose him.

Shinigami walking in the opposite direction glanced at the pair with curiosity as the imposing form of Ichigo strode down the halls, followed by a frightened and nervous young child, the contrasting figures drawing a bit of attention as they walked towards the 8th Division.

Meanwhile, the Lieutenant of the 8th Division was starting to become a bit frightened and nervous for completely different reasons than her younger division member, "_Where could she be? Ugh, if only she had a little bit more reiatsu she'd be easier to track!"_

As if the universe heard her thoughts, not two seconds later and both Ichigo and Nanao walked into the 8th Division and within the sight of Lisa.

Lisa approached the two, relieved at her return, and apprehensive at his appearance.

"I found her over by the Spirit Library. She was looking for you apparently and I offered her assistance getting back to your division" Ichigo explained, the soft spoken words and friendly expression gone from when he tried soothing the child next to his leg.

Lisa's eyes softened, and her apprehensiveness disappeared when she discovered the truth to her disappearance and Ichigo's involvement in the matter.

"Thank you Lieutenant Fushou" Lisa said with a slight bow of the head before approaching Nanao, "Would you like to read, Nanao-chan?"

The young girl nodded enthusiastically, her anxiety having been a thing of the past, much to Ichigo's amusement.

"Excuse us Lieutenant" Lisa stated before walking off with Nanao in tow, but not before gracing Ichigo with a smile.

Ichigo was a bit disarmed by her expression, but took his cue to leave nonetheless. However, before he could quite make his way out of the division he was called on by a familiar voice, "Ichigo-kun."

The Lieutenant glanced towards the flamboyant 8th Division Captain, "Yes Captain Kyoraku?"

The senior Captain approached with a smile, "Why don't you join me for a drink? It's the least I can do for you helping young Nanao-chan return safely to our division."

Ichigo turned to face the Captain directly before replying, "Perhaps another time Captain. I was heading towards the Spirit Library prior to helping your subordinate for some research, and I've very much like to use what little time I have to pursue this matter."

"The Spirit Library?" the Captain said while scratching his chin, obviously pondering the comment, "Well, most of what you can find in the Spirit Library I know the details of, so how about we make a trade? You drink with me, and I'll answer your questions" he offered hopefully.

It was Ichigo's turn to ponder, "_That might not be a bad idea. Records can be altered, or simply not written down, I may get more information out of him than I could have at the Spirit Library_."

Kyoraku stood there, hopeful that his offer bared fruit as he often could never share a drink with anyone these days, much to his disappointment. Low and behold he was rewarded with Ichigo's reply, "Very well, I accept your offer Captain Kyoraku."

"Excellent, excellent" he replied, the tone in his voice more friendly than ever as they walked towards his office, a skip in the Captain's step that hadn't been there before.

Kyoraku slid open the door to his office, which revealed the kinds of things you'd expect from the easygoing Captain. A various number of paintings adorned his walls, all of which were of women. He had numerous sake sets that varied from ceramic to glass, he even had a wooden set, all of which had unique designs emblazoned on the sides. They walked through the office until Kyoraku stopped at another sliding door in the back, which revealed another room complete with a low-table and seat cushions, in addition to a sake set on the table top.

Kyoraku plopped himself down on one of the cushions and began preparing the sake he had in hand to be served, "Please, sit down Ichigo-kun" the Captain said kindly.

Ichigo closed the sliding door before he propped his sword against the wall alongside Kyoraku's swords, and sat down on the cushion opposite of the Captain.

"I had this back room built into the office so I could have a little more privacy" Kyoraku stated as he handed Ichigo a saucer of sake, "it can be quite unfortunate to have an interesting conversation interrupted after all."

Ichigo chose not to comment and accepted the saucer handed to him.

Kyoraku poured himself a serving before raising it with his hand in a toast, "To an interesting conversation" he said with a smile.

Ichigo simply nodded before taking a sip, its vapors entering through his nostrils, and the hot liquid traveling down his throat, the alcohol leaving a strong aftereffect.

Kyoraku was surprised at Ichigo's tolerance of the beverage, or at the very least of how little it seemed to phase him, "Do you drink often Ichigo-kun?" the Captain asked curiously.

Ichigo paused in thought, recollecting several memories before he pushed them away from the surface and calmly replied, "I did a long time ago when I lived in the Rukongai" taking another sip.

"Oh? I've heard the bars in Fushou can be rather dangerous, then again, all districts that far away from the Seireitei are quite dangerous" Kyoraku mused.

This caused Ichigo to quirk an eyebrow, which didn't go unnoticed by the laid back Captain, who smiled lightly, "When you've been a Captain for as long as I have, you become quite familiar with the districts of Rukongai, both the safe and the dangerous."

Kyoraku took a healthy sip from his own saucer before saying, "Speaking of my old age, you had some questions, Ichigo-kun" with a bit of humor in his voice at the small joke.

Ichigo handed Kyoraku his saucer for a refill before he cleared his throat, "Yes. I was curious about...the Quincy."

Kyoraku paused while filling Ichigo's saucer, before he continued and sighed softly, "Ah, I was there for that. Not one of my most fond memories as a Captain, but we have responsibilities after all" he said before handing Ichigo back his now full saucer.

"The short story is that spiritually aware humans trained to combat Hollows, but the problem was that they completely destroyed them. They were creating an imbalance among souls, an imbalance that would have annihilated the world. There were negotiations between the Quincy and Shinigami, we requested that they leave the handling of Hollows to us, but the talks fell apart and we were left with the unfortunate decision of killing them" the Captain said with a saddened look before taking a large sip of sake. "But why are you interested in something that happened ninety years ago, Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo knew he had to tread carefully if he didn't want the observant Captain to become suspicious, "If I know the choices made in the past, I can make choices better in the future" he replied simply.

Kyoraku chuckled lightly, "Learn from our mistakes, huh Ichigo-kun?" he said.

"Something like that" he replied with a light smirk, "Do you know if there were any survivors?" he asked curiously.

Kyoraku looked up, as if trying to recall his memory, "Hmm, there were some scattered throughout the world of the living that we kept track of, there were only a handful though."

"Only the world of the living?" Ichigo asked, a tone of surprise subtly hinted in the tone of his voice.

Kyoraku was mid-sip before he threw back the rest of his drink down his mouth, "Yes, where else would they go Ichigo-kun?" he said halfheartedly.

Ichigo looked down into his saucer, confusion spreading across his features, for what reason Kyoraku knew not, "Would there be any survivors in say...Soul Society?" Ichigo asked as he looked up from his drink.

Kyoraku considered the question with a lot of thought, "I'm fairly certain it's impossible for a living being to enter our world. I'm curious though, what brought this question on Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo quickly took a sip of his drink before calmly replying, "Just something I wondered about when we covered the topic at the Shinigami Academy."

Kyoraku didn't quite believe his answer, but couldn't think what other reason he might have that question, so he let it slide. Desiring to brighten the mood, Kyoraku asked a question that completely caught Ichigo off guard, "So is there something I should know about between you and my Lieutenant, Ichigo-kun?" he said with a smile behind his saucer as he took a slow sip of sake.

Ichigo was, for lack of a better word, flustered, "I...I have no idea what you're talking about Captain Kyoraku."

The Captain merely maintained his gaze as he purposely took a slow sip, wanting to hide the grin on his face, which had the desired effect as Ichigo was soon beginning to feel like a man speaking with the father of a woman he was romantically involved with, which wasn't the case in either instance.

Kyoraku took advantage of the situation though, "I saw how you looked at her when she left with young Nanao-chan. It's nothing to be ashamed of, she is a beautiful woman."

Ichigo was having great difficulty formulating words, so he merely drank his sake, which didn't work very long as he ran out. Looking up from his drink, he saw the playfulness in Kyoraku's eyes, as well as the corners of a smile on the outskirts of his saucer.

"Well played Captain" Ichigo said feeling duped.

Kyoraku laughed happily, "Come now Ichigo-kun, I was only teasing, but you _were_ looking at Lisa-chan with an interesting expression."

Ichigo simply held out his saucer with a slightly exasperated face, which only added to Kyoraku's amusement. The Captain generously refilled Ichigo's saucer, only for their conversation to be interrupted by the sound of someone's voice, "Lieutenant Fushou! Lieutenant Fushou! I have an urgent message addressed to you directly!" yelled a man from outside of Kyoraku's office.

Both Ichigo and Kyoraku shared a look before Ichigo drank down his entire saucer and stood up, exiting the back room and opening the sliding door to the 8th Division Captain's office, with said Captain standing behind Ichigo.

It was a messenger from the 5th Division of the Onmitsukidō, the Inner Court Troop, "My apologies, but this message is strictly for Lieutenant Fushou" the messenger said to Captain Kyoraku.

"It's fine. What is the message?" Ichigo said authoritatively.

The messenger looked back and forth between the two of them before resigning to Ichigo's order and said, "You are to report directly to the Central 46 chambers post haste, and you are to leave your Zanpakuto behind."

Both Captain Kyoraku and Ichigo were shocked, but Ichigo quickly recovered from the reeling news and looked behind himself, "Captain Kyoraku, may I inconvenience you with holding my Zanpakuto?"

Kyoraku recovered from his surprise, "It's no inconvenience Ichigo-kun" said waving it off as nothing.

Ichigo nodded solemnly, "Very well, it should be resting against the wall in your office."

He immediately nodded towards the messenger and disappeared in flash-step, his thoughts of worry and concern growing from the pit of his stomach.

**Chapter 8**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.


	9. Chapter 9

Kyoraku recovered from his surprise, "It's no inconvenience Ichigo-kun" said waving it off as nothing.

Ichigo nodded solemnly, "Very well, it should be resting against the wall in your office."

He immediately nodded towards the messenger and disappeared in flash-step, his thoughts of worry and concern growing from the pit of his stomach.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 9**

* Earlier Today *

_Yoruichi ran away from her division, laughing quite hysterically at what would sure to be a humorous encounter between her new Lieutenant and young Byakuya. She sometimes wondered if she went a little too far in her pranks, but shrugged it off and continued her trek across the Seireitei. As fun as her small pranks were on Ichigo, she did have admirable goals in mind that would hopefully come as a result of said pranks. Yoruichi had one more in mind and hoped with the enlistment of a fellow Captain, her goals would be fulfilled._

"_Lisa-chan! Where are you my Lisa-chan!" hollered the jovial Captain of the 8th Division. He felt rather dejected as of late. The ladies in his division were especially distant, and no one was interested in sharing a drink with him, but that never deterred him in the past so he didn't allow it to hinder him now._

_Yoruichi landed gracefully behind the unsuspecting Captain before she lightly tapped him on his shoulder._

_He curiously turned around, and there was no one to be seen._

_He turned yet again to resume his search for Lisa, and was completely surprised to see Yoruichi but an inch away from his face, causing him to yelp in surprise and nearly drop his sake._

"_Oh, Yoruichi-san, you shouldn't scare me like that" Kyoraku exclaimed._

_Yoruichi merely smirked, "You knew full well that I was there, you're not a very good liar."_

_His only response was to smile softly and lightly shrug his shoulders, much to Yoruichi's amusement._

"_To what do I owe the pleasure of your company Yoruichi-san" the Captain asked with a friendly tone as they walked on the division's grounds._

"_What, I can't just stop by to see how you're doing Captain Kyoraku?" she said nonchalantly._

"_You're not a very good liar, Yoruichi-san" Kyoraku retorted._

_She laughed at the banter, but complied nonetheless, "I wanted to ask what you think of my new Lieutenant."_

_Kyoraku glanced upwards as he recalled the man in question, "Ichigo-kun? He seems well enough."_

_Yoruichi looked at him skeptically as they continued walking, "I'm a bit worried about him" she confessed._

"_Why do you say that, he's probably just nervous about being a new member of the Gotei 13. I'm sure that once he's acclimated your worries will be put to rest" Kyoraku tried to assure._

_Yoruichi halted in her steps, pondering over her worries and concerns, "But he keeps everyone at arms length, or more accurately, he keeps everyone at sword's length. Only one thing can come from distrust like that, and I'd like you to help."_

_Kyoraku raised his eyebrows at that statement, "Me? I'm not sure what I can do."_

_Yoruichi raised her arms in a shrug, "Share a drink, share a woman, I don't care. All I know is he could use some friendly faces."_

_A grin suddenly sprout on Kyoraku's face as an idea formulated in his head at the sight of one of his subordinates, and Yoruichi soon found herself curious, "Got a plan?"_

_Kyoraku simply nodded his head towards the object of his gaze._

_Yoruichi followed to where he nodded and saw the Lieutenant of the 8th Division, Yadōmaru Lisa._

_* _Currently *

Ichigo exited the Central 46 chambers, deep in thought and contemplation etched across his normally passive features. That is, until a voice interrupted his musings, "How did the meeting go?"

Ichigo halted in his tracks and looked behind him, the petite figure of Lisa was leaning against the wall of the Central 46 chambers. He couldn't seem to resist looking at her from head to toe, the shortened uniform easily revealing her long legs bathed in the moonlight.

"I cannot discuss the matter. May I ask why you are here Lieutenant Yadōmaru?" he asked trying to shake the thoughts that protruded his mind.

Lisa pushed off the wall and walked up to Ichigo, holding out in hand his Zanpakuto, "My Captain asked that I return this to you since he was called to an emergency Captain's meeting, and just call me Lisa."

Ichigo looked down at her extended hand before retrieving his Zanpakuto and strapping it to his waist in its usual position, "Thanks...Lisa. Do you know what the meeting is about?"

"Nope, but I was planning on finding out" she said.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her, "The meeting is for Captains only."

"Well I'm curious, it's human nature and can't be helped. Feel free to join me if you want, if it eases your conscience you can act under the guise that you were trying to stop me all along" she said nonchalantly.

Ichigo couldn't deny that he too was curious and so they both walked side by side in a comfortable silence, taking small pleasure in the night sky and light breeze as they headed towards the 1st Division.

While Ichigo was perfectly comfortable walking in silence the entire way there, Lisa fell prey to her curiosity once more as she asked Ichigo a question since she knew so little of the 2nd Division Lieutenant, "How do you like the Gotei 13 so far?"

"Different than I expected" he replied.

"And the 2nd Division?" she asked.

"A bit lackluster" he said as they turned a corner and walked down a different corridor.

"Care to elaborate?" she asked in attempt to garner more information.

"Not particularly" he stated.

Lisa glanced towards him as they walked side by side, "You're not very social, huh?"

"You could say that" he replied vaguely.

After several minutes of more silence, Ichigo decided that a little divulgence wouldn't hurt, "The previous Lieutenant's example didn't help motivate the members to train at the level that's to be expected of their position, but the Captain is acceptable, although I could do without her eccentric tendencies" he explained.

Lisa could easily understand his rationale; the previous Lieutenant of the 2nd Division was a bum, and her Captain had the market on eccentric behavior.

"She even allowed me to make some changes to Seireitei security" Ichigo said as he recalled his meeting with Yoruichi.

* Flashback *

_Yoruichi was sitting down in her office snacking on her usual food when Ichigo entered and sat himself down next to her._

"_What's up Ichigo, want to spar?" Yoruichi asked cheerfully._

"_Perhaps another time. I wanted your permission to make some security changes to some of the Onmitsukidō divisions" he requested respectfully._

_Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident, "What kind of changes?"_

"_While I was looking over the structure and policies of each division, I noticed some flaws. Most importantly, divisions such as the Inner Court Troop are extremely vulnerable to becoming compromised" Ichigo stated._

_This caused Yoruichi to straighten her posture a bit more and place her snacks down on the table beside her seat, "Explain" she said in all seriousness._

"_The messengers of the Inner Court Troop maintain anonymity, as do some of the members of the Patrol Corps, which is required given the need for confidentiality, but that anonymity creates the risk of anyone being able to pose as a member of either two divisions" Ichigo pointed out._

"_What do you suggest then?" she asked._

"_It's not a complete and perfect solution, but it would significantly reduce the chances of infiltration: passwords" he said._

"_Passwords?" Yoruichi said curiously._

"_Yes, passwords. First, we'd assign unique passwords to every member or team of the Inner Court Troop and Patrol Corps. These passwords would originate from either you or I and be relayed to a division's Corps Commander, and from the Corps Commander they would be relayed to members and teams within their division. Second, the passwords would change every twelve hours or when necessary. Lastly, unless on special assignment, members and teams will be rotated with inactive members at random as an extra precaution in case their password is compromised" Ichigo explained._

_Yoruichi scratched her temple, obviously trying to comprehend this new idea her Lieutenant wants to implement, "That's a fairly complex system Ichigo, what exactly do we achieve by implementing such changes?" she asked._

"_We can confirm the legitimacy of their position within the Onmitsukidō, or at the very least it provides a line of defense against infiltration that otherwise wouldn't be there" Ichigo stated._

"_I'll leave it up to you then" she said lazily, reaching for her snacks once again._

_Ichigo nodded in acknowledgment._

* End Flashback *

"Seireitei security?" Lisa questioned, but Ichigo merely gave her a look expressing quite clearly that he wasn't going to expound on that kind of information. She settled for what she got and didn't push her luck, and then something her Captain told her when he asked her to return Ichigo's Zanpakuto came to the forefront of her mind.

"My Captain tells me you were checking me out when I went to go read with Nanao" she said with the most neutral voice she could muster.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the ever subtle signs of a blush, and his nervousness certainly made the site amusing, "_Glad to know there's a person in there" _she thought humorously.

Ichigo soon contained his anxiety and just before he could retort to her remark, she cut him off, "We're here."

While Lisa positioned herself directly beneath one of the windows of the meeting room, Ichigo opted to lean against a wall roughly twenty yards away.

Several minutes passed in relative silence, until a commotion inside the meeting room could be heard, and eventually Lisa raised herself up to the window and peaked inside, much to Ichigo's surprise.

A moment later Lisa was running away from the meeting with a determined look on her face. She looked towards Ichigo and merely said, "I've got an assignment, see ya."

Ichigo observed her running away, very much becoming distracted by her form once again, and much to his embarrassment she looked over her shoulder and stared knowingly into his eyes. Ichigo abruptly turned away and walked towards the meeting room doors, while Lisa stifled a laugh at his behavior before she faded into the Seireitei.

The doors to the meeting room opened, revealing the exiting forms of the Captains. Ichigo patiently awaited the arrival of his Captain to discover the reasons for this emergency meeting. Although he had only been Yoruichi's Lieutenant for a couple of weeks, he was quick to learn her expressions, however subtlety different they were, and she was definitely concerned.

As he approached she was soon to notice him, beckoning him over with a stern look on her face, gone was the normally mischievous expression.

"I want you to update all of our patrols within the Seireitei, we're on high alert, and change the passwords" Yoruichi ordered.

"Of course. May I ask why we're on high alert?" Ichigo asked following in step with her.

Yoruichi paused in her brisk walk towards the 2nd Division, "The investigation team from the 9th Division just went missing, Captain Kensei and Lieutenant Kuna included" she said grimly.

"I'll move out at once" Ichigo said before flash-stepping away.

Ichigo flash-stepped throughout the Seireitei, intercepting and updating the stealth patrols of the details concerning the emergency meeting, or at the very least the details he was aware of, before finding a secluded area to update the passwords.

Ichigo began drawing black lines on his arms and hands while he started an incantation, "Black and white net. Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crowns and belts. Footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, engulfing land, hidden in the night, sea of clouds, blue line. Form a circle and fly though the heavens. Bakudō #77. Tenteikūra" and as he held out his palms, a glowing box formed and he had now established mental communication with the various members of the Onmitsukidō to update their passwords.

Since meeting with these members would draw attention to them and possibly lead to them becoming compromised, and relaying the passwords via paper or word of mouth, both could be intercepted or overheard. Bakudō #77. Tenteikūra ensured the maximum amount of secrecy for all involved.

As he continued traversing around the Seireitei, checking the security detail and further updating patrols, he noticed Captain Kyoraku walking through the streets and decided to try and garner a bit more information on the situation.

Ichigo landed on the ground several yards behind the 8th Division Captain and called out to him, "Captain Kyoraku!" as he tried catching up.

Kyoraku looked over his shoulder, recognizing the voice, "Oh, Ichigo-kun, working hard I see" he said ever so friendly.

"Ah, I've been checking security and updating our patrols on the situation, but I know very little on the matter and was hoping you could shed some light on the crisis at hand" Ichigo said.

"Hmm, I suppose there's no harm in telling you, especially given your responsibilities" Kyoraku mused before continuing, "As you may have been aware, souls in the Rukongai have been vanishing over the past several weeks, and the 9th Division was charged with leading an investigation into the matter."

"Yes, I heard as much" Ichigo replied.

"Well, ten of their members didn't report in, and tonight we discovered that those who were sent to find them also went missing, including both the Captain and Lieutenant of the 9th Division, hence the urgency" Kyoraku explained.

"Do you know the details surrounding the disappearances of the Rukongai citizens?" Ichigo asked.

"The Rukongai citizens?" Kyoraku thought aloud, "Well, according to the 4th Division, the souls are no longer able to maintain their form and as a result disappear, or so goes the theory."

Before Ichigo could ask any further, Kyoraku's attention diverted up towards one of the nearby building's second floor, much to the confusion of Ichigo.

"I guess I was being paranoid" the Captain muttered more to himself than anyone else, but Ichigo heard him quite clearly, "Well, it looks like Lieutenant Aizen's having a bout of insomnia too."

"Captain Kyoraku, have you been drinking tonight?" Ichigo asked, a hint of concern in the sound of his voice.

Now it was Kyoraku's turn to be confused, "Why do you say that Ichigo-kun? I'm as sober as Yama-jii."

Ichigo looked up to where Kyoraku was looking, then looked back at the apparently sober Captain, "There is no one up there."

Kyoraku's eyes widened in complete shock, looking back at the second floor and seeing Aizen quite clearly. He then noticed two patrolmen heading towards them, "Oi, do you see Lieutenant Aizen up there?" he asked, pointing his thumb towards the second floor building.

The two patrolmen straightened at the sight of Captain Kyoraku before looking at the direction he was pointing and nodding in the affirmative.

"See Ichigo-kun, they see him too, are you alright?" Kyoraku asked.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He doesn't see or sense anyone in that vicinity, and yet these two patrolmen and Captain Kyoraku are convinced otherwise. What is going on? Why does he suddenly have a bad feeling about tonight?

"_Think. Why would there be an illusion of Aizen?" _Ichigo pondered as Kyoraku continued looking at him with concern, as uneasiness began to grow in the pit of Kyoraku's stomach.

"_He placed this illusion in a visible location, but why? He wanted people to see him, or his illusion rather for the purpose of..." _the gears in his head were turning, and realization dawned on him, _"witnesses!"_

"_Why does he need witnesses...it convinces them of his location and his actions. His actions would likely be routine as to not arouse suspicion, as suspicious actions would be counterproductive to his goal. All that remains is his location. He wants to prove his location, at a specific time. Wait a minute...time! He proves his location at a specific time, the same time that the 9th Division's investigation team goes missing!" _Ichigo knew he could always trust his instincts, and something was definitely off this evening.

"Captain Kyoraku, how are we responding to the disappearance of the second investigation team?" Ichigo asked quickly, urgency seeping through his words.

"Several Captains and Lieutenants were dispatched to the last reported location, why? Is something wrong?" Kyoraku asked, keen on sensing Ichigo's mood.

"I'll explain on the way" he said before flash-stepping away, Kyoraku hot on his heels, and the two patrolmen thoroughly confused.

Both Ichigo and Kyoraku were leaping from wall to wall, roof to roof, the destination unknown to the 8th Division Captain, but he felt he could trust Ichigo's judgment, "What's going on Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in concentration, still trying very much to make sense of what was going on, but replied nonetheless, "I believe the Aizen you just bore witness to was indeed a fake, more specifically an illusion."

Kyoraku's breath halted in shock and eyes widened in surprise, which Ichigo noted as he looked behind his shoulder at the normally laid back Captain, "It seems as though you weren't being paranoid at all, Captain Kyoraku."

After traveling for what seemed to be mere minutes, which wasn't surprising because of the speeds they were flash-stepping, Kyoraku recognized where they were at, the 5th Division.

"This is Aizen's room" Ichigo stated as he slid open the door.

"Ichigo-kun, we cannot be breaking into a Lieutenant's quarters" Kyoraku admonished.

Ichigo paused, obviously considering something, before he said softly, "Do you recall that I was summoned by the Central 46?"

"Yes of course, I was there" he said.

* Flashback *

_As Ichigo entered the Central 46 chambers he didn't know what to expect. After setting foot in the chambers he already devised seven different scenarios in which he could execute them all and escape differently each time. This summons caused an almost overwhelming amount of suspicion and concern to attack his mind, but he remained calm and calculating, a level of composure that allowed him to survive this long in life._

_He stood in the center of the room and one of the highest judges in the room spoke, "Fushou Ichigo. Lieutenant of the 2nd Division of the Gotei 13. Corps Commander of the 1st Division Executive Militia of the Onmitsukidō" he stated before a pause, "Welcome to the Central 46 chambers."_

_Ichigo's eyes narrowed, that sort of greeting doesn't resemble the kind that would be addressed to that of a criminal._

_Knowing full well the personality of those in the position of power such as the Central 46, Ichigo had to watch what he said and how he said it, otherwise they might be addressing him in a much more hostile manner._

_Ichigo bowed at the waist and spoke clearly, "It is an honor to be in your presence. I humbly thank the Central 46 for the privilege to stand in your chambers. How may I be of service?"_

_He could hear several murmurs of approval; it was so easy to manipulate individuals of this arrogance._

"_It has come to our attention that one of the members of the Gotei 13 are under suspicion. We would like you to determine whether they are a threat to their fellow Shinigami and should be detained in Special Underground Detention Facility" the man explained._

"_Forgive my ignorance, but would this task not be more appropriate in the hands of our 3rd Seat and Corps Commander of the Detention Unit given the nature of this assignment?" Ichigo asked, trying to acquire more information behind this mission._

"_You were recommended specifically by Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and the suspect's Captain, Hirako Shinji" the man stated._

_Ichigo couldn't entirely hide his reaction, but enough to prevent suspicion, "The suspect...is Aizen Sōsuke?"_

"_That is correct."_

_* _End Flashback *

Kyoraku was speechless, to say the least, but soon regained his composure as he relented and they both entered Aizen's quarters.

**Chapter 9**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Bakudō #77. Tenteikūra (天挺空羅, Heavenly Rickshaws in Silken Air) - A technique to simultaneously transmit one's voice to a large number of people. Utilized during large-scale battles. Tenteikūra is primarily used for communication. The practitioner draws symbols upon his/her arms, hands and the ground using a black powder. The practitioner then places his/her palms away in front and generates a glowing rectangular box. He/She then enacts various movements of the hands to create various root-like extensions in the air which connect to the glowing rectangle. Upon once again placing his/her hands up to the rectangle and activating the spell the root-like extensions glow creating a network extending out from the rectangle. The spell transmits messages mentally to anyone within an area of the caster's choosing. In addition to reciting the spell, the user must draw specific markings on their arms, which are animated by the spell to convey the messages. The messages can be spoken either by the caster or by another within the vicinity of the caster.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I sure do enjoy flashbacks and cliffhangers! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.


	10. Chapter 10

"_You were recommended specifically by Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and the suspect's Captain, Hirako Shinji" the man stated._

_Ichigo couldn't entirely hide his reaction, but enough to prevent suspicion, "The suspect...is Aizen Sōsuke?"_

"_That is correct."_

_* _End Flashback *

Kyoraku was speechless, to say the least, but soon regained his composure as he relented and they both entered Aizen's quarters.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 10**

They both crept carefully into the room of Lieutenant Aizen as they looked for anything suspicious. The room itself was rather plain, a bit too plain as far as Ichigo was concerned. The room consisted of one bed, one desk, and one closet. There were no decorations, mementos, keepsakes, or anything that would inform anything about the individual who occupied the bedroom.

Ichigo smiled lightly as realization dawned on him, "He's an arrogant one, Lieutenant Aizen" he remarked to Kyoraku.

Kyoraku continued to inspect the bedroom before asking, "Why do you say that, Ichigo-kun?"

"He doesn't think anyone would suspect him enough to search his room, and thus he found no reason to decorate it. Most people feel compelled to add something to a room, to give them a sense of stability, something that can make them feel more at home. Since he doesn't want anyone to suspect him of anything, he tries to pass off as a normal person. It stands to reason that since he never expected anyone to search his room, he didn't need to keep up the facade in his own quarters" Ichigo explained while looking for any security measures set in place along the walls.

Kyoraku paused in his inspection, pondering a thought before saying, "Do you have any decorations in your room Ichigo-kun?"

"No, but I'm not a normal person either" he replied simply.

Kyoraku chuckled and resumed his examination.

As Ichigo's palm slid against the wall feeling for any points of no resistance, his eyes widened as he discovered an empty space behind the wall, "Here."

Kyoraku ceased looking along the roof and approached Ichigo, looking at where his hand had paused, "Behind the wall?"

"Well, considering you have to cause some irreparable damage to the wall in order to access it, Aizen will know upon returning that someone was both in here and discovered whatever it was he's hiding" Ichigo theorized.

Ichigo focused some reiatsu at the tip of his fingers before he slid them across the wall, allowing him to pull down the concealment and thereby creating a rather noticeable hole. Behind the hole, however, was a green opaque barrier.

Ichigo tried to gauge the barrier's strength by pushing some reiatsu against its outer edge, and soon discovered it was Kidō far beyond his level of experience. He glanced at Kyoraku, "Think you can dispel it?"

Kyoraku smiled lightly, "Let's find out, shall we?"

Kyoraku mimicked Ichigo's previous movement and tried gauging the barrier's strength by pushing some of his reiatsu against its outer edge. He then began whispering a very quiet incantation, far too quiet for Ichigo to overhear, and a few seconds later the barrier was dissolved.

They both saw three vials behind the barrier, all of them placed in some sort of rack much like one you would see in a laboratory. The contents of these vials had some sort of clear liquid in them with speckles of black. What stood out the most to them, however, was the feint detection of Hollow reiatsu that emanated from the vials, which concerned them both immensely.

"Do you think this has anything to do with the vanishing souls?" Kyoraku asked a bit worriedly.

"I have a feeling they do, Captain Kyoraku" Ichigo stated.

Ichigo carefully reached out towards one of the vials and with a gentle and steady hand picked it up. After noticing nothing happened, or exploded, he was slightly relieved that the vials could be transported.

"My apologies if I am overstepping my authority Captain Kyoraku, but I have a request to make of you" Ichigo said.

"Given the circumstances it's quite alright Ichigo-kun, what is it?" Kyoraku asked, his seriousness matching Ichigo.

"I would like you to take these vials. Give one to the 12th Division and the other to the 4th Division, ask them to analyze and determine what the exact contents of these vials are" he replied.

"And the third vial?" Kyoraku said.

"Hold on to it in case something happens to the other two. The less people know, the better, and if anyone asks...you only found two vials" Ichigo elaborated.

"Understood" Kyoraku said before retrieving the vials and carefully placing them within his uniform, "What will you do?"

Ichigo stood up and walked outside the quarters, "I'm going to find Aizen and figure out what he's up to" he replied before drawing a black circle on the ground and beginning an incantation, "Bakudō #58. Kakushitsuijaku" and the circle glowed brightly as he focused intently.

He searched and searched until finally he located the spiritual signature he was trying to track, "Found him. Aizen is somewhere near the 63rd District of North Rukongai, and the investigation team is nearby, but their signatures are erratic."

Worry glazed over Kyoraku's features, concern for his Lieutenant quite evident much like the Captain himself observed in Urahara earlier that evening.

"I will handle them, you must get those vials to the 12th and 4th, Captain Kyoraku" Ichigo said, trying to instill a little more focus into the distracted Captain.

"Of course" Kyoraku stated, and just before he flash-stepped away Ichigo spoke once more, "And one more thing. Refrain from telling the Captain-Commander until I give you a signal" Ichigo said before flash-stepping away from the 5th Division and soon out into the Rukongai districts heading north.

Ichigo did his best to remain undetected upon his approach, but he was well aware of the fact that time was crucial, so he had to find a balance between perfect stealth and his quickest flash-step.

He landed gracefully in some brush and silently maneuvered through the dense forest until he found an opening within the woods where he discovered the investigation team. He settled himself behind a tree and some bushes as he observed what he saw before him, unbeknownst to anyone in the area.

Captain Hirako was laying on the ground, obviously injured, but shock seemed to preoccupy him more than pain did at the moment, "You're...Tousen!"

The man he was referring to had some type of mask on his face and based on his uniform he appeared to be a Shinigami.

"Why? You...betrayed Kensei..." Shinji continued.

"_Kensei is the Captain of the 9th Division, this Tousen must be someone within his division then, so he is indeed a Shinigami" _Ichigo mused.

"Your own Captain?" Shinji confirmed as Tousen removed his mask.

Ichigo heard more than sensed the arrival of the man he was looking for...

"He didn't betray anyone. He's quite loyal. In fact...he obeyed every order that I gave to him. Please don't get angry with him, Captain Hirako."

"_Aizen!" _Ichigo thought, while Shinji vocalized his thoughts.

"Aizen...? I knew it! So you started all this!" Shinji exclaimed as he looked up from where he lay.

"Then you noticed? I'm not surprised" Aizen commented casually, as if this were an every day conversation.

"Course I did!" Shinji stated.

"Since when?" Aizen replied, his calmness conveying how well prepared he was, or so he thought.

"Since you were kickin' around in your mama's womb" Shinji said, much to Ichigo's amusement.

"I see" the 5th Division Lieutenant replied.

"_No, you don't"_ Ichigo thought with a bit of humor despite how grave the situation was at the moment.

"I always...knew ya were dangerous; that ya weren't a man to be trusted. That's why I chose ya to be my Lieutenant. It was so I could watch you, Aizen!" Shinji said.

Aizen merely chuckled in amusement, his arrogance quite obvious to Ichigo given what he had discovered thus far about the Lieutenant and his plans.

"Yes, and I'm most grateful, Captain Hirako. Thanks to your constantly doubting me, you never even realized" Aizen said appreciatively.

"I just said that I did!" Shinji said with growing frustration in his voice.

"No, you didn't see a thing. For this whole month, I wasn't the one walking behind you" Aizen revealed, much to both Ichigo and Shinji's surprise.

"_A whole...month?" _Ichigo thought with utter shock, "_Impossible!"_

"I can...make my enemies believe anything I want them to. That's my Zanpakuto's, Kyouka Suigetsu's, true ability. I refer to its power as...absolute hypnosis" Aizen stated.

"Absolute hypnosis?" Shinji questioned.

"You're a clever man, Captain Hirako. If you had treated me the same way the other Captains treat their Lieutenants, you might have seen through it. But you never tried. Since you never trusted me, you always kept me at arms length. You never opened your heart to me, never shared any information. You never tried to know me. And that is why you never noticed...when I had someone else take my place. I had my substitute memorize my behavioral patterns and the way I interacted with you and the other Captains. If you had truly formed a relationship with me, you would have noticed slight differences in our ticks and mannerisms. The reason you're down on the ground right now is all because you never bothered to get to know me" Aizen explained with great detail, which proved to be very informative for Ichigo.

"_Why...why didn't I see his illusion? Why is it Captains Kyoraku and Hirako were both susceptible to this...ability?" _Ichigo thought intensely. _"I'm quite sure they would've noticed getting hit by some type of attack while Aizen's Zanpakuto was released, otherwise it would've drawn far too much attention. Unless it's an attack that affects an entire area and doesn't necessarily require a point of direction. Or perhaps...perhaps the release induces these effects with some form of visual or auditory signal. Mirror Flower...Water Moon, his Zanpakuto's name implies some form of visual qualities. Since I have yet to seen his release or any abilities exclusive to his Shikai, then it stands to reason that witnessing either one will place me under this 'absolute hypnosis' so it would be best to monitor my vision" _Ichigo rationalized before diverting his attention back to the conversation at hand.

"You should take the chance to apologize to your friends. They're on the ground, bleeding and unconscious because I chose you" Aizen said in a very neutral tone, but it was easy to interpret the fact that Aizen was being very condescending.

"Aizen!" Shinji shouted as he stood up with his sword drawn and before he could strike at his Lieutenant, a thick white substance sprang forth from one of his eyes and mouth, much to both Shinji's and Ichigo's surprise.

"Thank you for letting my little taunts anger you" Aizen said again in a neutral tone.

"Damn it! Me, too?!" Shinji said in disbelief just as the investigation team standing behind him all displayed the same symptoms Shinji just presented.

"Aizen! What's going on?!" Shinji said, his temperament becoming more erratic.

"It seems that Hollowfication proceeds quicker if the subject is agitated" Aizen observed.

Ichigo's thoughts immediately went to the three vials he and Kyoraku discovered in Aizen's quarters, "_They must be related. The strange liquid, the Hollow aura that surrounds it, the two can't be a mere coincidence."_

"Hollowfication? What's...that?" Shinji questioned, half of his face now dawning what appeared to be a mask very much resembling that of a Hollow.

"You don't need to know" Aizen said before glancing off to his right and saying, "Kaname."

The traitor within the 9th Division whom Shinji referred to as Tousen replied, "Yes sir!"

A look of realization dawned on Shinji's face as he shouted out, "Don't!"

But it was too late, Tousen had flash-stepped in front of Urahara's Lieutenant and slashed her across the chest, causing her to fall face forward.

Shinji immediately retaliated by attacking Tousen, but Ichigo's attention was diverted by something that caught his eye long before Tousen even moved let alone attacked a member of the investigation team.

Ichigo stealthily made his way through the brush and placed his blade against the neck of whomever ventured out here. The individual wore a dark blue robe with an upturned collar, which seemed quite unusual to Ichigo, but he disregarded it for now, "Do not move. Do not make a single noise. If you do, I will kill you" he said quietly but enough to be heard.

He could feel the person stiffen against the touch of his blade, and much to his shock he found himself in a similar situation, "The same goes for you" he heard a voice behind him.

"_I didn't sense him at all...what the hell?" _Ichigo thought, quite dumbfounded at being caught off guard.

He soon regained composure however, as he recognized the voice of the man who stood behind him with a sword pressed against his throat, "Captain...Urahara?" he asked curiously.

The blade against his throat was a bit more slack, but Ichigo decided against taking advantage of the lapse as a fight now would reveal them all to Aizen, which he was sure would do none of them any good.

Ichigo slowly removed his sword and held it out to his side, "It's me...Lieutenant Fushou" he stated.

Urahara immediately withdrew his blade and they all exhaled in a sigh of relief.

Ichigo spared a glance behind him and was relieved to see it was indeed Urahara, and he wore some sort of cloak, which he gathered was the reason for why he couldn't sense him.

Recognizing that he wasn't alone in this situation anymore, a plan began to formulate in his already active mind, and as he knelt next to the man in front of him he realized that this plan might just work.

"My apologies for usurping your authority in this matter, but I'm following orders from the Central 46" Ichigo explained, both men a bit taken aback at this revelation.

"I will share with you what I know" he said before taking a glance back at Shinji and Aizen, not noticing anything to worry about right away he continued with his explanation, "I will have to give you the condensed version as we are short on time, but I will do my best to not leave anything out. Kyoraku and I discovered two vials in Aizen's quarters this evening. These vials contain some kind of liquid substance with black specks and has the aura of Hollow reiatsu. This leads me to believe, after witnessing what has just happened to Captain Hirako and the investigation team that Aizen used the contents of these vials to cause this 'Hollowfication' process to take place" Ichigo said quickly and quietly.

Urahara's eyes widened in surprise, "Hollowfication?" he asked.

Ichigo simply nodded his head in the affirmative.

"Hollowfication breaks the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow, it was something I came across in my research to strengthen souls, given the recent disappearances of souls" Urahara explained.

Ichigo absorbed the information and continued on with his report, "Well, Aizen's Zanpakuto has the ability of complete hypnosis. As we speak, an illusion of himself is in the Seireitei. Apparently for the past month Aizen has put this illusion in his stead" he explained, "But it doesn't seem to affect everyone. I only noticed it this evening because Kyoraku acknowledged Aizen while we were having a discussion, I've been otherwise preoccupied with my responsibilities to discover Aizen's illusion."

"Why doesn't it affect everyone?" Urahara questioned, his curious scientific mind at work despite the graveness of the situation.

"Kyoraku said that he could see Aizen on the second floor of a nearby building, but I saw nor sensed anyone in the direction he was referring to. Since it's his Zanpakuto's ability, that would at the very least require Shikai. That being said, this hypnosis must either be induced by witnessing the release of his Shikai, or it's an ability he executes while his Shikai is active, and since I have seen neither..." Ichigo trailed off glancing back at the ongoing battle between Shinji and Tousen.

Urahara also looked at the fight, worry etched across his face and he began to stand, "We need to help him" he said solemnly.

Ichigo placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly pushed him back down, "Wait!" he whispered abruptly.

"Aizen has been operating in secret for this past month...I saw him in the Spirit Library the day before the Shinigami Academy Graduation Ceremony. Would this 'Hollowfication' information be in such database?" he questioned, his mind racing to discern exactly what Aizen was plotting.

Urahara ignored being pushed down and pondered the thought, "I suppose so, I can't imagine where else it would be except for my division's computers."

"_He put in place this illusion so he could operate in secret and yet...the timing of his appearance at such a late hour in front of Captain Kyoraku and several other division members can't be a mere coincidence. Aizen is far too calm and collected right now to not have planned in advance...so what could it be? Why would he need to be seen if he didn't plan on killing the investigation team? With everyone who witnessed tonight's betrayal dead, why concern himself with having an alibi..." _he contemplated, and then an epiphany smacked him directly in the face as he stared at Urahara's look of concern as he peered out at the battle between Shinji and Tousen.

"Captain Urahara, is it likely that if no survivors were accounted for, that Soul Society would investigate further into this matter?" Ichigo questioned.

Urahara glanced back at Ichigo, prying his eyes off the ensuing battle, "Why of course, they wouldn't ignore something like this."

"The souls in the Rukongai...if they were exposed to this 'Hollowfication' what do you think would be the most likely result?" he questioned, hoping his theory was wrong.

"They would likely...vanish!" Urahara exclaimed, although aware not to raise his voice.

"Aizen began this experiment on Rukongai citizens, which eventually gained the attention of the Gotei 13. The Gotei 13 then charged the 9th Division with investigating and soon followed were ten missing Shinigami..." Ichigo said before Urahara cut him off.

"And tonight we will have several Captains and Lieutenants who will either die or vanish...Aizen wanted stronger test subjects who could withstand the exposure!" the 12th Division Captain stated, catching on to Ichigo's train of thought.

"Unless Aizen plans on luring the Captain-Commander out into the Rukongai, it stands to reason that this is the end of his experiments since there is no one stronger than a Captain or Lieutenant. He must have some plan in place to cease any further investigation, and since the Gotei 13 would continue their investigation with no survivors, he plans on leaving a survivor, or rather..." Ichigo said with a deathly tone.

"Someone to...take the fall" Urahara said in fear.

"Tell me, Captain Urahara. Who would you think was capable of something like this?" Ichigo asked, the graveness of his words bearing down on the 12th Division Captain.

"Me."

"He is expecting you. That is why he had his illusion display itself in such a public location, because he was going to let you live in order to take the fall, and with such a numerous amount of witnesses, any blame directed towards him would be completely ignored" Ichigo realized.

Urahara was shocked. Shocked to the point of speechlessness. But Ichigo's suspicions of Aizen mentally prepared him for these revelations.

Ichigo glanced back at the battle, Aizen was walking towards Shinji with his blade drawn, they needed to act quickly or else they could consider the 5th Division Captain dead.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked the man he pointed his blade at earlier.

"Captain Tsukabishi, of the Kidō Corps" the man stated evenly.

Ignoring the surprise that welled up within him, Ichigo quickly laid out his plan, "You and Urahara shall transport the investigation team back to the Seireitei. Both the 12th Division and 4th Division have already begun analyzing the contents of the vials, and with you there assisting them, reverse engineering it could lead to a cure. I will distract Aizen long enough for you to execute a Sentan Hakuja, but we must go now!"

Urahara regained his confidence and composure, and both he and Captain Tsukabishi nodded their heads in acknowledgment. Before Ichigo left from their hiding spot, he turned back to look at Urahara, "When you arrive at the Seireitei, tell Captain Kyoraku that I said...he can drink sake now, he'll understand what it means" and before they could ask him anything else he flash-stepped into the open, casually walking towards Aizen.

"We will wait for his distraction" Urahara said with seriousness.

"Yes, Urahara-dono!" Captain Tsukabishi responded.

Moments before Aizen's blade came down upon the suffering 5th Division Captain, the arrival of Ichigo halted it in its tracks, much to Ichigo's relief.

"Lieutenant Aizen" Ichigo said passively.

"Lieutenant Fushou" Aizen said kindly.

Shinji was both relieved and surprised at this development, but was struggling as it was to hold back the progression of the Hollowfication.

"What are you doing here, Lieutenant Aizen?" Ichigo questioned as he continued closing the distance between himself and the traitors.

"Oh, he found us" Gin chimed, but Ichigo paid him no attention.

"I'll kill him!" Tousen spouted as he began to draw his sword.

"No, there's no need" Aizen stated.

"But-!" Tousen began to retort before Aizen cut him off.

"Kaname, I said that there is no need" effectively silencing him out of fear.

"Yes, sir! Please forgive my impudence!" Tousen nearly begged as he kneeled before Aizen.

"Lieutenant Aizen, I will not ask again. What are you doing here?" Ichigo said.

Aizen's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "I'm afraid I do not report to you, Lieutenant Fushou."

Ichigo slowed his approach, placing himself between Aizen and Shinji, before glancing at Gin, "Tell me Gin, when the Gotei 13 are an interior guard, who is the exterior guard?"

Gin had his ever present smile plastered across his face as if he didn't have a care in the world, "That would be the Onmitsukidō, Fushou-san" he chimed.

"Ah, the Onmitsukidō. As you can see Lieutenant Aizen, given the fact that Seireitei is on high alert with the Gotei 13 positioned as interior guards, I am well within my right to question your purpose for being this far away from your assigned post as a Corps Commander of the Onmitsukidō" Ichigo stated.

Ichigo noticed Aizen's brows furrowed a mere centimeter, but it was a big enough tell for him to realize he was getting to the normally composed Lieutenant.

"As you can see, I just so happened to have stumbled upon the investigation teams, which were apparently injured in battle. I was going to try to heal their wounds" Aizen explained.

"You two-faced sack of shit-" Shinji roared before falling prey to the Hollowfication once more.

Ichigo began circling Aizen and his apparent followers, turning their eyes away from the investigation teams as he spoke, "Why are you lying to me?" he asked, letting the question hang in the air.

"Lying?" Aizen asked curiously.

Ichigo decided to test one of his theories, "Tell me, Lieutenant Aizen. Would your research in the Spirit Library, and the state the investigation team is currently in, have any connection with each other?"

The surprise was evident. Aizen's eyes had visibly widened, and that was all he needed to confirm his theory.

"_You're falling into my trap Aizen" _Ichigo thought with amusement, "_I just need to push him a little more."_

"Tell me, Lieutenant Aizen. What healing technique involves the use of one's Zanpakuto?" Ichigo pressed on as he continued circling around them.

"Tell me, Lieutenant Aizen. Why does a member of the 9th Division appear to be so loyal towards you? Why is it that the only unharmed member of the investigation team just so happens to be someone who loyally obeys you?" Ichigo continued.

"Tell me, _Lieutenant Aizen._ Why did you just try to kill Captain Hirako?" Ichigo said before stopping.

Ichigo could notice the clenched hands and furrowed eyebrows of Tousen, he had obviously struck a nerve with him. As far as Ichigo was concerned, he didn't look all that different from Aizen, it's just that the Lieutenant had far more control containing his expressions.

"_Now!" _Ichigo realized.

"Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō" he said while pointing his index finger at Aizen.

Six thin, wide beams of light came crashing into Aizen's midsection effectively immobilizing him, much to his surprise.

Ichigo didn't want to chance anything and began a second incantation to strengthen the spell before using another binding spell, "Bakudō #63. Sajō Sabaku" he said while holding out his palm and then closing it, and golden chains quickly wrapped themselves around Aizen, further immobilizing him.

Ichigo faced both palms outwards before saying, "Bakudō # 21. Sekienton" and red smoke propelled out of his hands, obscuring everything from view that was both to the left and right of them, including the injured investigation team.

Ichigo was going to cast another Kidō spell but soon ceased in his movements as a voice spoke to him, "_I want to play, Ichigo."_

Ichigo resumed his original posture before he lightly chuckled, "Interesting" he said more to himself than to Aizen.

Aizen was quickly trying to dispel the binding spells so he could make use of his Zanpakuto, but it was taking longer than he expected.

"It appears...that my Zanpakuto wants to play with you three" Ichigo said, the deadliness in his voice betraying no emotion as they recognized the implications of his words.

Ichigo drew his sword, and held it out to his side with the blade pointed upwards and he said in the softest of whispers, "Hide, Gekkō."

**Chapter 10**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Bakudō #58. Kakushitsuijaku (摑趾追雀, Summoning of the Tracking Sparrows) - Kakushitsuijaku heightens the user's senses and awareness to seize a target. Kakushituikaku is primarily used for tracking and locating any spiritual force the user focuses on. The practitioner draws a circle with the appropriate symbols set apart in four quadrants upon the ground using a black powder. They then place their hands palms down just under the circle to activate the spell. The circle glows with a blue light as the symbols are animated within the circle, causing various numbers to appear within until the specific set is found. The number set seems to be a variation on longitude and latitude.

Sentan Hakuja (千反白蛇, Thousand-Coil White Snake) - This technique utilizes the use of the long, white piece of cloth that is spun around to incorporate targets within its coils. The cloth tightens before, with a white flash, it teleports the targets to another location.

Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō (六杖光牢, Six Rods Prison of Light) - A restraint spell which immobilizes enemies with six spiritual bands. The practitioner points his/her index finger at the target generating a spark of yellow energy. That energy summons six thin, wide beams of light that slam into a target's midsection, holding them in place. The target is then unable to move any part of their body including the parts that were not struck by the beams.

Bakudō # 21. Sekienton (赤煙遁, Red Smoke Escape) - Sekienton is primarily used for escape. The practitioner places the palms of their hands down on the ground and a red smoke bursts forth from the point of contact, swiftly engulfing the surrounding area and briefly obscuring the movements of whomever is within the smoke, allowing a quick getaway.

Gekkō (月光, Moonlight)

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I'd like to think that Ichigo's arrival at all these conclusions isn't too contrived. He's been shown to think critically, and given all the evidence presented to him thus far, it's fairly reasonable that he could figure out Aizen's plans. I certainly think Aizen and his all-knowing theme throughout Bleach is far worse than what I just wrote.

One more thing I'd like to elaborate on in case some of you were confused about the potential pairings. Firstly, this is not a romance-centric story. Secondly, if romance occurs it will be done so organically, I prefer it to not be predetermined. Lastly, I simply put Yoruichi as the second character in the story's properties for the sake of easier searches and at the time I thought I would primarily focus on Ichigo and her relationship (whether it was strictly platonic or not). The primary relationship I will eventually focus on is Ichigo and Lisa (they inspire me more, creatively, than anyone else), but whether or not it will be romantic is entirely dependent on how I end up writing them. The moments Yoruichi and Ichigo had, if you could call them "moments" was within the realm of canon without being considered romantic, as Yoruichi is presented as a tease throughout the entire show. My apologies to those who felt I led you on, it was not my intent.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review and I'll be sure to reply.


	11. Chapter 11

Aizen was quickly trying to dispel the binding spells so he could make use of his Zanpakuto, but it was taking longer than he expected.

"It appears...that my Zanpakuto wants to play with you three" Ichigo said, the deadliness in his voice betraying no emotion as they recognized the implications of his words.

Ichigo drew his sword, and held it out to his side with the blade pointed upwards and he said in the softest of whispers, "Hide, Gekkō."

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 11**

White, wispy smoke, with a light blue tint began to spew from the hilt, and it soon enveloped the entire sword. The shape within the smoke began to elongate, and not long after Ichigo reeled his Zanpakuto out from its cover, revealing a scythe now within his hand.

The blade of the scythe was black and silver, while the staff it was attached to appeared to be black steel.

Aizen, Tousen, and Gin could ponder its appearance no more as Ichigo wasted no time, "Tsuki no zetsubō" he said softly before slashing at the air in the direction of the three traitors.

They all reacted very much in the same manner, with the exception of Aizen who was still desperately trying to dispel the binding spells Ichigo placed on him.

"It's too late" Ichigo said as Tousen and Gin had their blades drawn with defensive stances, "You've already been cut" he continued while walking towards the group slowly.

Gin merely quirked an eyebrow, while Tousen who was already on edge gritted his teeth and furrowed his eyebrows in further agitation.

"Which of you shall I kill first? Perhaps you...Aizen" Ichigo asked curiously.

The statement set off Tousen who was immediately upon Ichigo, despite Aizen's protests.

"_Irritability._"

Ichigo deftly avoided and parried Tousen's attacks, which were becoming increasingly sloppy and ineffective. Tousen would bring down his blade in an overhead strike, which Ichigo side-stepped, causing Tousen's blade to strike down upon the ground while he lost his footing and tripped forwards.

"_Difficulty concentrating."_

Tousen caught himself before falling to the ground, but he was within perfect range of Ichigo's knee which came crashing upwards into his face, propelling him on to his back, reeling in pain as he felt his nose break from the impact.

"You weren't nearly this ineffective when you fought Captain Hirako" Ichigo whispered quietly so only Tousen could hear his words.

Tousen choked on his breath in surprise as he sluggishly attempted to create distance while stumbling to his feet.

"_Anxiety."_

Ichigo swiftly brought down his scythe, which Tousen dodged but in doing so tripped on his feet yet again.

"None of your comrades seem too keen on helping you, Tousen. They can't seem to help you at all" Ichigo stated while he stalked towards him.

"Silence!" Tousen bellowed before he flash-stepped towards Ichigo, striking out numerous times in a combination of vertical and horizontal slashes, attempting desperately to connect with any part of Ichigo.

"_Isolation."_

Ichigo closed the distance between him before bringing up the bottom of his Zanpakuto and landing the blunt end on Tousen's solar plexus, causing him to stop mid-swing and gasp in pain.

"You can't defeat me, Tousen" Ichigo whispered as the end of his Zanpakuto pressed against Tousen's chest, likely keeping him propped up.

"_Hopelessness."_

Tousen knocked Ichigo's Zanpakuto aside with his forearm and attempted in vain to stab Ichigo in the ribs. Ichigo moved to the side, causing Tousen to hit only air as his blade went underneath Ichigo's arm. Ichigo held his Zanpakuto horizontally and thrusted both hands forward, causing the staff part of his sword to land squarely on Tousen's eyes.

Tousen stumbled backwards, grasping at his eyes in pain, before falling to one knee in clear exhaustion.

"_Lack of energy."_

At that moment, however, Aizen had broken free from his restraints and was visibly annoyed going by the expression of his normally calm face.

"My greatest apologies Aizen-sama" Tousen nearly yelled, "I cannot begin to express the severe disdain I feel towards my inability to finish this man."

"_Self-hatred. Worthlessness."_

Aizen merely spared a glance at Tousen, seemingly ignoring his words as he looked back at Ichigo, but was soon surprised as Ichigo disappeared from his vision.

"Hitotsume: Nadegiri" Ichigo said, barely audible to those in the area, and he brought up his scythe in an upward strike towards the kneeling form of Tousen, and vertically split him in half. The pressure from the attack continued onwards into the forest, long after the two halves of Tousen's body fell to the ground.

"_Suicidal."_

"That was...unexpected" Ichigo mused with a tone of surprise in his voice, "I would've never imagined that a Zanjutsu technique could be so effective."

If Aizen was angry or saddened at the loss of Tousen, he certainly didn't show it.

Ichigo swiped out with his blade to removed the blood that bathed its form, before turning his body and facing Aizen with an ever so calm expression, as if the corpse of Tousen didn't phase him in the slightest.

"_It appears that Captains Urahara and Tessai managed to escape with the investigation team. However..." _Ichigo thought while Aizen drew his sword, "_I'm going to need some kind of evidence that the real Aizen was out here."_

Ichigo soon formulated a plan, and realized that to pull it off he couldn't let Aizen breath if it was going to work, "_I hope I'm convincing enough."_

"I'm curious of your Zanpakuto's ability, Lieutenant Fushou" Aizen stated calmly, the interest evident in his voice.

"Only a fool would reveal such information, sadly you will have to discover its ability on your own...or perhaps" Ichigo said with pause, a smirk gracing his lips, "You can't figure it out."

Aizen lips pursed slightly, irritated at his failure to coax information out of Ichigo and glanced slightly at his own Zanpakuto. Ichigo noticed and immediately went on the offensive, hoping he could prevent Aizen from releasing his Zanpakuto. It worked.

Ichigo flash-stepped behind Aizen and brought with him his Zanpakuto in a wide-arc in an attempt to cut him at the waist. Aizen merely parried the attack, and no sooner Ichigo had flash-stepped yet again not wasting any time and was in front of him with an overhead attack, which was met with the same result.

Ichigo rotated his Zanpakuto so the bottom part was facing forward and he launched dozens of various attacks trying to strike Aizen's face with the blunted end before he swung it sideways, rotating it back to its normal position.

"Perhaps" Aizen said calmly as he parried a powerful swing, noticeable by the small impact crater made by his feet, "You should join me, Lieutenant Fushou. As you are well aware, I am short one person."

Ichigo didn't pause in his assault, he was relentless. He couldn't give Aizen room to release his sword, but he needed to goad him some more, so he replied, "It is as I have said before, you have ulterior motives."

He executed a high spinning back kick trying to hit Aizen's temple, but he ducked underneath his foot. He flipped forwards, facing away from Aizen, and brought his blade along for the ride, it having a clear path for Aizen's face, but the Lieutenant jumped several feet backwards to avoid the strike.

"Besides, your competence has become quite obvious" Ichigo tried to say as nonchalantly as possible, and it appeared to have the desired effect.

Aizen had a lapse in concentration, likely thinking of how his plan wasn't panning out the way he had hoped, which allowed Ichigo to smack Aizen across the face with the bottom end of his Zanpakuto, causing the traitorous Lieutenant to stumble sideways a couple of steps.

Ichigo again was unrelenting, there was no reason to pause and admire the accomplishment of gaining the first strike in their battle, such confidence could turn the tide of battle.

That being said however, the strike did create the opportunity for high-level kidō. Recalling a moment from his time as an academy student, Ichigo thought of one particular spell that may just set Aizen over the edge given his remark following his use of it, "Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi" he said calmly, and a coffin of black and purple energy soon encompassed Aizen's form but a moment following the strike to his face.

The gravity in the surrounding area felt slightly different as the spears pierced the box, lacerating everything that it enveloped, before slowly dissipating revealing the form of Aizen. His body was adorned with gashes throughout his body, needless to say he was injured, but nothing life-threatening.

"_It was a rather waste of time and energy" _Ichigo recalled after he used the very same spell in front of Aizen at the academy. While Ichigo wouldn't ignore the physical damage the spell inflicted upon Aizen, his primary goal with the spell was to trigger that memory within Aizen's mind, trying to insult and annoy his enemy as much as possible.

Aizen was clearly gritting his teeth, his irritability at an all time high. He had more than likely recalled the memory and interpreted the attack in the exact way Ichigo had planned.

"_I'm a waste of time and energy?"_

Having long lost his patience, Aizen went on the offensive, and if Ichigo wasn't able to maintain a cool composure as always, he was sure shock would be evident on his face. Aizen was more powerful than he gave credit for, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

They traded strikes, both parrying and dodging numerous attacks, and both being just as unsuccessful. However, Ichigo was ahead in this skirmish thus far, which Ichigo was sure invaded the traitor's mind knowing full well of his arrogance.

Ichigo brought down a powerful swing, his scythe screaming through the air at an unusually fast velocity, but Aizen managed to parry the strike. However, after soon locking swords with Aizen, Ichigo took one hand off his Zanpakuto and pointed his index finger at Aizen's face, "Hadō #4. Byakurai" and a condensed bolt of lighting shot forward.

Aizen was momentarily shocked, but managed to avoid most of the spell by tilting his head, however a deep gash was now visible from underneath his eye all the way around his face over his cheekbone.

Aizen's eyes looked down at the cut, the blood from the wound painting his face, and that seemed to set him off.

"_It worked"_ Ichigo thought.

A moment later and Aizen thrust his sword outward before raising his palm at Ichigo, "Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō" and six beams of light pinned against Ichigo's midsection, much the same way Ichigo's had towards Aizen.

Ichigo calmly began breaking down the spell to free himself, not losing his focus or concentration in the slightest, as doing either would not quicken his escape.

Aizen's confidence returned slightly, "It is as I said before, Lieutenant Fushou. Your execution is flawed."

With his palms down and two fingers outstretched, Aizen uttered words that Ichigo had not said but a few moments ago, "Hadō #90. Kurohitsugi!"

The same black coffin of spiritual energy soon began enveloping Ichigo. The gravity increasing more than it had when he used it, and its pressure could be felt quite easily. Even as he was encompassed in darkness, Ichigo merely continued breaking apart the binding spell, ignoring his predicament altogether.

The spears pierced the box, and all Ichigo could feel was the heavy spears cutting his flesh apart. Needless to say, it wasn't a pleasant experience, but despite being torn apart he continued his work on the binding spell.

As the box faded away, the gravity returning to normal and the pressure letting up around them, the bleeding form of Ichigo was revealed. The wounds were very similar to the ones Aizen had, but the cuts were far deeper, and he was losing much more blood. However, he was free from the binding spell and still stood on both feet, the expression on his face still very much the same before being bound.

Ichigo again, wasting no time, went on the offensive once more. He showed no signs of slowing down either, in fact, it appeared he was moving at an even quicker pace than before.

"Tch" Aizen nearly spat.

"_I don't need your Zanpakuto to create an illusion for you, Aizen" _Ichigo thought with an inward smile.

As the minutes dragged on in their exchange of strikes, Aizen had lost nearly all restraint. Ichigo had hesitated briefly, his injuries apparently having caught up with him, but that hesitation was all Aizen needed to bring down an overhanded attack with a deadly amount of force.

Aizen's blade connected with Ichigo's right shoulder and brought it all the way down to his waist.

Ichigo stumbled backwards, coughing something out of his lungs and eyes wincing in pain, before he fell to the ground flat on his back.

Aizen's victory hadn't come yet, however, as the traitor soon discovered that the investigation team was gone. As Aizen looked back at Ichigo's body, not a moment later his body was bathed in a wispy black smoke.

He disappeared.

Aizen couldn't sense his reiatsu at all, it was completely gone.

He couldn't dwell on it too long, he had to return to the Seireitei and salvage his plan, having wasted too much time fighting against Ichigo.

"Come Gin, Lieutenant Fushou has been dealt with" Aizen said, sheathing his Zanpakuto and calmly walking away.

Gin stared at where Ichigo's body previously lay, before smiling widely at Aizen, "Ah, Lieutenant Aizen" and following after him.

*** Back in the Seireitei ***

Urahara and his subordinates were working diligently to procure an antidote for the investigation team's ailment.

"What are the numbers again" Urahara asked as he glanced at several different computer screens, all giving varied bits of information.

"Sample A is at 0.68. Sample B is at 0.76. Sample C is at 0.81. Sample D is at 0.93" one of the division members said.

Urahara briskly walked to another screen, before pausing to think, "Use Sample D along with the number three serum for the synthesis."

"Yes sir!" the division member replied before quickly going to work.

"Attention! Attention! All Captains and Lieutenants are to report for an emergency meeting at the 1st Division immediately! I repeat, all Captains and Lieutenants are to report for an emergency meeting at the 1st Division!" a voice boomed throughout the Seireitei.

"_I can't leave now!" _Urahara thought worriedly, "What are the results?" Urahara asked, ignoring the announcement and going back to work.

The 1st Division meeting room was soon filled with various Captains and Lieutenants. Those part of the investigation team were absent, along with Lieutenant Fushou and Captain Urahara.

The meeting began with the sound of Captain-Commander Yamamoto's cane slamming against the floor, "Captain Yoruichi, where is your Lieutenant?" the Captain-Commander asked.

Yoruichi merely glanced upward in thought, "Ain't got a clue, Captain-Commander" she said.

"And where is Captain Urahara?" the Captain-Commander asked openly to see if anyone knew.

The silence was interrupted however, "Excuse me, Captain-Commander Yamamoto! My apologies for not reporting this sooner, but I have something troubling to report!"

Yamamoto glanced to his side, his stoic face unreadable as he considered the person who spoke, "What is it, Lieutenant Aizen?"

"Thank you!" Aizen said before quickly bowing, "Against my Captain's wishes, I observed the newly appointed Captain of the 12th Division, Urahara Kisuke. I found it odd that the souls in the Rukongai began vanishing around the same time that the Shinigami Research and Development Institute was formed. I am sure that I stepped out of line, but I searched some of their labs and came across vials that contained hollow reiatsu."

The Captain-Commander along with Kyoraku were both caught off guard by this statement, while the other Captains and Lieutenants present for the meeting weren't privy to all the information surrounding the situation.

"Vials with hollow reiatsu?" Captain Unohana repeated with a bit of disbelief.

"Yes sir!" Aizen said respectfully, "I just reported it to Lieutenant Fushou, which is why he is not present for the meeting."

At that exact moment, a messenger from the Inner Court Troop suddenly appeared in the meeting room, "My sincere apologies for interrupting Captain-Commander. I have a report from Lieutenant Fushou!" the messenger said while kneeling.

"Report!" the Captain-Commander ordered.

"Yes sir! Lieutenant Fushou has investigated the 12th Division laboratories and has discovered extensive research on something called Hollowfication!" the messenger disclosed.

"Hollowfication?" Kyoraku said in surprise, his mind reeling at what to believe and disbelieve.

"Lieutenant Fushou gathered that this 'Hollowfication' is related to the vanishing souls within the Rukongai and asked that I report this immediately while he pursued the investigation team to discover their fate" the messenger relayed.

Everyone in the room was well beyond shocked at this revelation, although two people were a little more skeptical: Yoruichi and Kyoraku.

"Tell me" Yoruichi said with a pause while gaining the attention of the messenger, "What is your password?" looking expectantly at the Inner Court Troop member.

The messenger stiffened slightly, "Excuse me, password?"

"Are you deaf? I said, tell me your password" Yoruichi repeated, her suspicions growing ever so slightly.

"My apologies Captain Yoruichi, but I am unaware of any password" the messenger said respectfully.

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed, "Ichigo implemented some new security measures for the Onmitsukidō, they're only a couple of days old, so anyone trying to impersonate one of our members wouldn't likely be aware" she said before flash-stepping behind the messenger and landing a severe kick to the back of his head.

"What is the meaning of all this!" the Captain-Commander said loudly.

Their attention was soon diverted, however, at the sound of a voice, "Tsuki no mitōshi."

Everyone's eyes darted in Aizen's direction, as a figure appeared out from a black wispy smoke, with a blade resting against Aizen's neck, "You're under arrest, Lieutenant Aizen."

Ichigo stood behind Aizen, holding his blade against Aizen's neck, with wounds all over his body and exhaustion evident on his face.

"I don't understand Lieutenant Fushou..." Aizen began, but Ichigo soon cut him off, "You will be detained within the Special Underground Detention Facility for terrorist actions against Soul Society, attempting to overthrow the balance of Soul Society, and the murder and experimentation of Rukongai citizens and several members of the 9th Division."

"My apologies Lieutenant Fushou, but I've been within the walls of the Seireitei all evening, and forgive me but if memory serves correctly, you don't have the authority to arrest a fellow Lieutenant" Aizen said respectfully.

"That is incorrect, Lieutenant Aizen Sōsuke. He was granted the authority by Central 46" Captain-Commander Yamamoto stated, observing the situation with a careful eye.

"I see. I was unaware" Aizen stated, maintaining his composure at this revelation, "However, I'm sure there are members of the Gotei 13 who can attest to my whereabouts this evening, Lieutenant Fushou" Aizen explained.

"You've been within the Seireitei all evening then, Lieutenant Aizen?" Ichigo questioned, his blade still pressed up against his neck.

"That is correct, Lieutenant Fushou" Aizen said calmly.

"By all accounts of this 'messenger' I went out into the Rukongai in search for the investigation team. So please, Lieutenant Aizen, would you care to explain why there are traces of your reiatsu in one of my wounds?" Ichigo said, much to the surprise of everyone, Aizen included who couldn't cover the shock on his face.

"If you were within the Seireitei all evening, and I was out in the Rukongai, how could your reiatsu possibly be in one of my wounds?" Ichigo pushed further.

Aizen looked back at Ichigo, a smirk forming at his lips as he considered Ichigo, "Well done, Lieutenant Fushou, it appears that I underestimated you, a mistake I won't make again" Aizen said, his facade falling.

"You won't get the chance, Aizen" Ichigo stated.

"Ah, but you are wrong. You see, I just created an illusion for all the Captains and Lieutenants in this room. They can't hear or see either of us right now, they're observing illusions of us having an argument over the validity of your wounds. I will admit, you have won this time, but I have not come out of this unrewarded" Aizen divulged.

Ichigo pressed his blade further into Aizen's neck, "Even if there are 'illusions' arguing right now, any conclusion they come to the Captains and Lieutenants will know of your guilt, so you are only delaying the inevitable."

The smirk on Aizen's face turned into a smile, "Again, you are wrong Lieutenant Fushou. I did not create the illusions to delay anything. I simply wanted to have an uninterrupted conversation with you before I left."

"What makes you think I will let you..." Ichigo began before Aizen cut him off.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Fushou, and give my regards to Captain Urahara, you have both helped me immensely" Aizen said and Ichigo was completely caught off guard when Aizen struck him down with his sword.

"_I couldn't track his movements. I couldn't feel him move. I couldn't do a single thing to prepare myself" _Ichigo thought as he fell backwards, blood spewing from new wounds, "_I see" _he realized with twisted fascination, "_He's far more powerful than he made me believe during our battle."_

Ichigo fell to the ground, unconsciousness soon taking over, and the illusion shattered.

The Captains and Lieutenants were horrified. Aizen was no where to be seen, and Ichigo was lying on the ground bleeding to death. In the end, they didn't see it coming, despite their suspicions.

**Chapter 11**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Tsuki no zetsubō (月の絶望: The Moon's Despair)

Hitotsume: Nadegiri (撫で斬り: The First: Killing Stroke) - This basic technique allows for a precision cut of extreme force and speed, it can casually slice through large, multi-story high opponents protected by steel skin. The opponent can be killed with one swift slash that is so precise, that they aren't even aware of it until after it has taken place.

Hadō #4. Byakurai (白雷: Pale Lightning) - Gathers high-density spiritual energy and discharges it from both hands. The practitioner points at the intended target with their index finger and generates a concentrated lightning bolt.

Tsuki no mitōshi (月の見通し: The Moon's Perspective)

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I will elaborate more on Ichigo's Zapakuto's abilities when the time presents itself; I understand why they reveal their abilities during battle in canon, it's for the audience's sake. I, however, find that to be far too unrealistic. You don't reveal your abilities to the enemy! I will divulge the details in a more realistic manner, so fret not.

I hope the fight scenes weren't too bland. I used both fight scenes more for the purpose of revealing a bit about Ichigo's Zanpakuto and development for the plot twist at the end of the chapter, so for some reason I feel like they didn't have your typical action-oriented aura, or perhaps I'm just over-thinking.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.


	12. Chapter 12

"_I couldn't track his movements. I couldn't feel him move. I couldn't do a single thing to prepare myself" _Ichigo thought as he fell backwards, blood spewing from new wounds, "_I see" _he realized with twisted fascination, "_He's far more powerful than he made me believe during our battle."_

Ichigo fell to the ground, unconsciousness soon taking over, and the illusion shattered.

The Captains and Lieutenants were horrified. Aizen was no where to be seen, and Ichigo was lying on the ground bleeding to death. In the end, they didn't see it coming, despite their suspicions.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 12**

He felt pain, but that was nothing new to him. He felt tired, but that was something he came to expect in his line of work. He opened his eyes yet again, wondering when the time would come that his eyes remained closed.

The cuts that littered his body were a mild throbbing pain and stung slightly, but the one that went from his shoulder to waist was far more than just uncomfortable as he winced in pain trying to lift himself up, contracting his abdominal muscles in doing so and as a result agitating the gash that ran the length of his upper body even further.

He looked up at the ceiling and immediately knew that he was in the 4th Division, much to his displeasure. However, before he could dwell on that thought any further a voice interrupted his musings, "Welcome back."

Ichigo glanced to his right, and there sitting next to his bed was Lisa, seemingly unharmed and at full health.

"You are...well?" Ichigo asked, noting the dryness in his mouth likely from a lack of water.

"Ah. Captain Urahara managed to create a cure, most of us recovered within several hours while it took others an entire day, but we've all been cleared for active duty" she explained.

Ichigo felt a moment of relief that his hard work had paid off, "How long have I been unconscious?" he asked curiously.

"Two days" was all her reply.

"I see" he stated simply before he rolled on his side and pushed himself up from his elbow, causing far less pain than his last attempt to sit up.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be sitting up, Fushou-san" a voice from the far side of the room said.

Ichigo didn't need to look to know who it was, but quite frankly he didn't want to see anymore of her or the 4th Division, so he continued to stand himself up and eventually he found himself standing warily on his two feet.

Thinking of anyway to get himself out of here, he merely turned his head in Unohana's direction while maintaining eye contact with the floor and said, "Central 46 has been awaiting a report for two days, the longer I remain here the longer everyone remains in the dark to this betrayal."

"The Central 46 and Gotei 13 can exercise patience in this matter, your wounds however, cannot" Unohana said softly, but clearly wasn't backing down so easily.

Ichigo was already putting on his uniform, although he didn't tie it together as he didn't want anything pressing against his wounds so he left it open, exposing his bare chest covered in cloth wrappings, "I will be fine, you worry unnecessarily, Captain Unohana" and with that he walked out of the 4th Division's healing ward.

He felt like he could breathe a little more easily after having left the 4th Division grounds, but he was noticeably affected by the wounds, despite his strong facade.

"Captain Unohana is starting to dislike you, I think" a voice said beside him as he felt a soft hand come up around his right on his ribs, while his left hand was soon draped over a shorter person's shoulder to lean on.

Ichigo glanced to his left and saw Lisa once again, "What are you doing?" he questioned.

Lisa merely gave Ichigo a skeptical look and walked with him down the road, not dignifying the question with an answer.

He couldn't exactly blame her, he surmised.

So they walked in silence towards the Central 46 chambers, with her gently helping him make the trip a little more bearable as he winced in pain every so often while at the same time he tried to ignore the close contact they shared.

Eventually they both found themselves in front of the Central 46 chambers and Ichigo bid her farewell and entered, neither looking forward to nor dreading this meeting, simply remaining neutral. Neutrality offered the easiest route for him to deliver this report, and given his injured state he was quite content with something easy.

He stood in the center of the room, present in front of the wise men and judges, awaiting for permission to speak.

"Lieutenant Fushou Ichigo, your arrival is most unexpected. From our last report by the 4th Division you were still unconscious" one of them said.

"I awoke only a few moments ago. I thought it prudent to give my report as soon as possible so that you, the Central 46, would be up to date on the recent events that occurred several days ago" Ichigo replied.

There was a soft murmur among the Central 46, likely just shared remarks and nothing more.

"Very well, Lieutenant Fushou Ichigo, you may report your findings" the same man said.

Ichigo lightly nodded his head, "Thank you."

"As you very well may be aware, Lieutenant Aizen Sōsuke committed numerous crimes and validated his guilt with his betrayal of the Gotei 13 and departure from the Seireitei" Ichigo began.

"Lieutenant Aizen Sōsuke was the one behind the disappearance of Rukongai citizens and the Shinigami involved in the investigation. He was experimenting on them" he continued.

"What were the nature of his experiments, Lieutenant Fushou?" a member asked.

Ichigo glanced towards the direction of the voice he heard, "Hollowfication."

"Hollowfication?" another asked, wanting clarification much like the others within the chambers.

"Yes, Hollowfication. He discovered such research in the Spirit Library" he explained.

There was another murmur amongst the Central 46, likely at the fact that such information was in their own databases, "Perhaps, Lieutenant Fushou, you should start at the beginning" a member stated.

Ichigo inwardly sighed, if only they had a chair in the center that he could sit in, standing long enough to give this kind of report surely would be a strain given his still healing wounds. However, he was the eager one to leave the 4th Division under the pretense of having to deliver said report, so he couldn't exactly complain about his predicament.

"Of course" Ichigo said calmly.

"The evening in which the investigation team went missing, I was updating the patrols and came across Captain Kyoraku. During our conversation I noted something strange. He had acknowledged Lieutenant Aizen on the second floor of a nearby building and yet I could not see nor sense him. If I did not trust my senses and had not been ordered by you, the Central 46, to investigate the person in question, I may have very well paid a visit to the 4th Division. However, I _do_ trust my senses and I _was_ ordered to investigate Lieutenant Aizen, so I suspected that what Captain Kyoraku paid witness to was in fact an illusion of some kind" Ichigo explained.

"I concluded that he initiated this illusion to have an alibi so he could operate freely in the Rukongai with the investigation team, as the timing was beyond coincidence. After realizing that he wasn't within the Seireitei, I searched Lieutenant Aizen's quarters along with Captain Kyoraku and we discovered three vials containing some kind of liquid with Hollow reiatsu" Ichigo said before he was interrupted.

"Would these vials be what we now know to have been the cause for the investigation team's transformations?" one of them asked.

"Yes. It is also the cause for the vanishing souls within the Rukongai and the original investigation team sent out by the 9th Division. I entrusted Captain Kyoraku with handling the vials while I went out to the Rukongai in the hopes of discovering what Lieutenant Aizen was doing and quite possibly save the investigation team. My deductions proved correct upon my arrival when I soon bore witness to Lieutenant Aizen revealing to Captain Hirako that he had betrayed him. Not long after, I came across both Captains Urahara and Tessai who were concerned for their subordinates and enlisted their aid in the investigation of Lieutenant Aizen. I surmised that Lieutenant Aizen had need for an alibi because he planned to leave a survivor, more specifically, someone to take the fall so the investigation into Lieutenant Aizen's experiments would come to a halt. Given that most would point towards Captain Urahara as the most likely suspect, I guessed that he was the man Lieutenant Aizen had in mind. Who else would have knowledge of Hollowfication other than the Head of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute?" he asked rhetorically.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Fushou, but did you not say that such research was in our very own databases in the Spirit Library?" a member asked.

"That is correct. However, it might be likely that one would have to know what to look for, at least that is my theory. I instructed both Captains Urahara and Tessai to retrieve the investigation team and find a cure for their ailment while I distracted the traitors. I killed Tōsen Kaname, a member of the 9th Division, who was aiding Lieutenant Aizen in this betrayal. Not long after, Aizen and I engaged in battle" Ichigo stated.

"What evidence do you have to implicate Tōsen Kaname of the 9th Division, Lieutenant Fushou?" a man interrupted.

"He attacked both Captain Hirako and Lieutenant Sarugaki. Furthermore, Lieutenant Aizen admitted that Tōsen Kaname was involved in this betrayal. Following my verbal distractions towards the traitors, Tōsen Kaname attacked me and it made the most sense to eliminate at least one of them so I could adequately distract them from noticing Captains Urahara and Tessai" Ichigo explained rationally.

"Very well, please continue Lieutenant Fushou" the man said without further questioning.

"Now, at this point I had come privy to the information that Lieutenant Aizen's Zanpakuto had the ability of complete hypnosis, and to come under such effects I speculated that I either had to bear witness to his Shikai, or it was an ability exclusive to his Shikai. Therefore, I had to implement an aggressive strategy and lure Lieutenant Aizen into a false sense of security to ensure he would not use his Shikai, and prove the innocence of Captain Urahara and the guilt of Lieutenant Aizen. Lieutenant Aizen was sure to realize that I could not come out of this exchange alive, because as fate would have it, I had witnessed him in the Spirit Library during my time at the Shinigami Academy. He was well aware that he couldn't risk having anything tied back to him, and I used this to my advantage" Ichigo said.

"Hold on a minute. Why were you, an academy student, in the Spirit Library? That place is off limits to students, let alone accessible to them" one of the elders spouted.

Ichigo sighed quietly, "I had to look elsewhere for Kidō. With all due respect to the instructors at the Shinigami Academy, I was beyond the level of spells being taught to my fellow students."

"Why should we be criticizing his initiative? If we had more students with his discipline Soul Society would be all the more secure!" another man argued in his defense.

Discussion began to rumble amongst the Central 46, however it was soon put to a stop, "The purpose of this is not to discuss the finer points of how Soul Society is run, we are receiving Lieutenant Fushou's report on this betrayal!" a man said with authority, thereby ceasing all whispers and talks.

"Continue" the man ordered.

"Because Captain Urahara didn't 'show up' in the way Lieutenant Aizen planned, he would have to alter his plan, which I was confident would have a hole large enough for me to exploit after this battle was over. I needed evidence that Lieutenant Aizen was not where his illusion verified him to be, and so I aggressively fought Lieutenant Aizen to create a believable opening in our ensuing battle to give the impression that I had died by his hand. Authentic enough that he wouldn't spend much time mulling it over and return back to the Seireitei with no delay. Sure enough, upon my return to the Seireitei, Lieutenant Aizen had a plan with enough flaws that his betrayal was evident to even the most dense of minds. Unfortunately, I underestimated his strength in our battle and I was critically wounded when I confronted his betrayal" Ichigo finished.

There were several whispers, but he could make out a couple grunts of approval.

"Very well, if there is nothing else to add you may leave" one of them said.

Ichigo nodded his head slightly before turning and walking away, but not before another spoke up, "And Lieutenant Fushou..."

Ichigo turned around expectantly, curiosity in his eyes.

"A job well done" the man said appreciatively.

That caught Ichigo off guard, but he simply nodded his head in acknowledgment before exiting the Central 46 chambers.

As he exited the building he let out a deep breath, the likes of which he wasn't aware of holding, but exhaustion seemed to be catching up with him.

"You know, if we keep meeting like this people might begin to talk" a voice said off to the side.

It was as though he was having deja vu, there leaning against the side of the wall was Lisa, her long legs as glowing as ever in the moonlight.

"_We, _are not meeting. _You_, are simply following me around" Ichigo said offhandedly as he began walking away, not particularly in the mood to chat with the 8th Division Lieutenant.

"Here I was trying to be nice" Lisa said in mock disappointment, "My Captain wishes to speak with you, he asked me nicely if I could ask you in his stead...something about a pretty woman being harder to say no to than an old man" she said with a smirk.

Ichigo groaned tiredly. The 8th Division was much closer than the 2nd Division, and he had been standing for quite awhile, so the rest couldn't hurt if all he had to do was converse with the easygoing Captain.

"Very well" Ichigo relented without too much resistance, which Lisa chalked up to his injuries.

She again helped him make the trip by allowing him to lean on her, however hesitant and uncomfortable he was at the whole idea.

Ichigo once again, found himself in the back room of Captain Kyoraku, drinking sake once more.

"Captain Unohana was quite upset at your departure, Ichigo-kun" the Captain remarked before he took a sip from his saucer.

Ichigo was lightly sipping his own, finding the numbing effects to be quite relaxing for his many wounds, "I do not like being around her" he said simply.

Kyoraku quirked an eyebrow at that comment, "Why? She's one of the kindest people in all of Soul Society" he said a bit taken aback at Ichigo's attitude.

Ichigo downed the rest of his sake in one large gulp before extending his hand for more, "She has done nothing to cause this dislike, she merely reminds me of someone I once knew."

Kyoraku generously refilled Ichigo's saucer, "I see" he replied before dropping the subject and moving on to something else, "I'm curious about something Ichigo-kun, I was hoping you might enlighten me a little."

Now it was Ichigo's turn to raise an eyebrow, "What may that be?" he asked before taking a healthy sip of sake.

There was a pause before Kyoraku spoke, "Tsuki no mitōshi" he said simply.

Ichigo paused mid-sip, staring directly at Kyoraku, his mind beginning to churn despite the alcohol in his blood, "Why?"

The Captain merely smiled in an attempt to ease the tension, "Simple curiosity, a bad habit I've had ever since I was a child I must admit" he said, recalling the many times Yamamoto verbally and physically reprimanded him for his snooping.

"How about I tell you about one of my Zanpakuto's abilities, in exchange for some details surrounding what we bore witness to in the meeting room" Kyoraku offered.

"_Equal exchange"_ Ichigo mused silently, "_Story of my life..."_

"Very well" he agreed before chugging the contents of his saucer and outstretching his arm for more, which Kyoraku happily gave.

"_It's so nice to have a drinking partner who can hold his liquor, this is so pleasant" _Kyoraku thought contently.

"My Katen Kyōkotsu makes children's games real" Kyoraku explained, which caught all of Ichigo's attention, "One of these games is Kageoni; whoever gets their shadow stepped on, loses."

Ichigo's eyes visibly widened until a smile graced his lips, "What exactly do they lose?"

Kyoraku smirked, "Who knows, it depends on the shadow I suppose" he replied vaguely. Whether he was being obscure as to not reveal too much, or because he himself hadn't revealed anything yet, Ichigo wasn't sure.

"My Zanpakuto..." Ichigo said, a thoughtful expression on his face as he pondered his sword, "likes to play a game."

This caused the 8th Division Captain to laugh a hearty laugh and beamed with what could only be described as happiness, "It must be fate that we became friends, Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo looked down at the remark, almost in disbelief at the idea, but he smiled nonetheless, "I suppose so, Captain Kyoraku."

"My Zanpakuto likes to hide, and Tsuki no mitōshi allows me to hide with him" he divulged, almost fearful that disclosing such information would bring him death upon the words reaching Kyoraku's ears. However, death did not come, a fear he was sure that developed from his distrust of everyone for most of his life.

Kyoraku took a sip from his saucer, consideration on his face before he asked, "By the way, you never told me your Zanpakuto's name."

Ichigo finished taking a sip before saying, "Gekkō."

Kyoraku's eyes widened slightly in realization, "Your Zanpakuto is light-based Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo nearly choked on his sake before he contemplated the man in front of him, "_Very astute."_

Kyoraku waved off his outburst with his drink, "Come now Ichigo-kun, there's nothing to be embarrassed about" he said refilling Ichigo's saucer with more sake.

"I'm not embarrassed, just surprised you figured it out" Ichigo confessed.

The 8th Division Captain merely smiled and took another sip of sake, chuckling lightly as he exhaled the strong fumes.

Ichigo downed his full saucer, gaining an approving nod from the man in front of him. Kyoraku went to refill their saucers and noticed that the jug was empty.

"All out" Kyoraku said a bit sadly, but a smile still spread across his face, appreciative of the company regardless of how short it might have been.

"Lisa-chan can change your dressings and help you back to the 2nd Division for a good night's rest" Kyoraku stated before standing up and heading for the sliding door and just before opening it he looked back and said, "Thank you for coming, Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo was a bit uncomfortable with the affection in the tone of his voice, but nodded his head in acknowledgment nonetheless, that is, until Kyoraku opened the door to reveal Lisa with cloth wrappings in hand and a smirk on her face.

"Take off that uniform, Ichigo" she said almost smugly.

"Che, pervert" Ichigo remarked under his breath as he slid his uniform off his shoulders, stopping at the waist and remained seated while she began removing the old dressings.

Kyoraku merely chuckled at their interaction before he left the office altogether and went for a walk on the division grounds.

The old dressings came off his body relatively easy, but there were some that were stuck to the dry wounds and stung slightly when they were removed, but he remained still and unflinching. Her hands brushing across his bare skin made him so uncomfortable that the pain was almost a second thought as he remained tense throughout the whole ordeal.

As she applied new dressings, he wasn't nearly as stiff as he was at the beginning, but he was still eagerly awaiting for it to end. Thankfully after a couple of minutes she announced words of joy, "I'm done."

Ichigo quickly put his uniform back on and stood up slowly. Relaxing with the 8th Division Captain seemed to do a whole lot of good on his nerves, however the Lieutenant of said division undid a lot of that achievement, he was thankful to have come however.

"Thanks" he said before walking out of the office.

He inhaled slowly through his nose, acquiring a deep breath of fresh air, and exhaled slowly, calming himself down from Lisa's presence. However, as though the Spirit King found pleasure in tormenting him, he felt the familiar hands of Lisa come in contact with his body as she helped him stand and they both walked out of the division towards the 2nd Division grounds.

Much to his displeasure, she took the longest possible route, which was likely intentional given her desire to torture him at every opportunity.

The only distraction from this ordeal was that he noticed one of his subordinates, Amagai Shūsuke, entering one of the residential areas of the Seireitei where the nobles reside. He couldn't dwell on it much longer however, as Lisa seemed to be searching his body for a ticklish spot, much to his annoyance.

**Chapter 12**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

There were some things that were rehashed a little, but I wanted to make sure everyone understood what happened and decided caution was a better course than assumption. This chapter was mostly intended to clarify things and help with transition with the characters and story. Hopefully this chapter has added a good amount of depth, that was my goal.

If you have any questions of comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.


	13. Chapter 13

Much to his displeasure, she took the longest possible route, which was likely intentional given her desire to torture him at every opportunity.

The only distraction from this ordeal was that he noticed one of his subordinates, Amagai Shūsuke, entering one of the residential areas of the Seireitei where the nobles reside. He couldn't dwell on it much longer however, as Lisa seemed to be searching his body for a ticklish spot, much to annoyance.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 13**

As Ichigo walked through the entrance of the 2nd Division and Lisa bid him goodbye, he couldn't help but ponder over the day and how relieved he was to finally get some peace and a little rest.

Fate would not smile upon him this evening however, as a man stood in his way of the barracks.

Ichigo paused in his steps and considered the person in front of him, "What do you want?" he asked, his patience already thin from his interaction with Lisa.

The man merely smiled and unsheathed his Zanpakuto, "Kibune Makoto" he replied before slowly approaching Ichigo with a drawn blade.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, "Do not make me repeat myself."

Kibune simply chuckled with mirth, "Is it not obvious, Lieutenant Fushou? I've come to challenge you for your position!" he replied before flash-stepping in front of him with a downward slash coming along with him.

Ichigo turned sideways and avoided the strike altogether before he brought up his back leg and struck Kibune in the face with a strong kick, vaulting the challenger off his feet and onto his back.

"I do not have the patience to deal with you right now. I suggest you cease this fruitless venture and leave me alone" Ichigo said and began walking away from Kibune.

Kibune clenched his hands and jaw in anger before leaping back to his feet with sword reeled back, "Don't ignore me, trash!" he bellowed before rushing towards Ichigo once more.

Ichigo turned the left side of his body and partly faced the oncoming attacker with an outstretched palm, "Bakudō # 4. Hainawa" he said softly and a yellow rope sprung forth towards Kibune and bound his arms and body, immobilizing him at once.

"This is your last warning" Ichigo stated plainly before walking away for a second time.

Kibune tried with all his strength to break free of the low level binding spell, but despite his efforts the rope remained unwavering.

"I told you..." he said in a deadly whisper, "don't ignore me, trash!"

"Rage Violently, Reppū!" he shouted and a large amount of reiatsu was released as his Zanpakuto transformed into a three-bladed weapon connected to a large pole.

Ichigo didn't even spare a glance, he didn't want to talk with the man let alone fight him, sleep was all that pervaded his mind.

Kibune manipulated his Zanpakuto, seemingly controlling its movements with a mere wave of his hand, and the first thing he did was cut the binding spell with his sword.

Ichigo sighed, it seems that he wasn't going to find rest as soon as he had hoped, much to his annoyance. He flash-stepped behind Kibune and swung his leg out to clip the back of his head, but Kibune simply bent forward and avoided the strike.

"Do you think I'd be caught off guard a second time?" he said with a mocking tone.

However, Ichigo didn't spare a moment to follow his first attack with a second, and much to Kibune's shock it landed. A side kick landed directly on Kibune's face, breaking his glasses and knocking him to the ground once more.

Kibune cried in rage and threw his hand forward, which thereby caused his Zanpakuto to dart at Ichigo, who deftly avoided the blade. Kibune continued launching his sword at Ichigo, who avoided every attempt, which only infuriated Kibune more in the process.

"How depressing" Ichigo mused aloud.

"Be silent, trash! In a few moments you will be dead and your words will have as much worth as your life!" Kibune yelled, his control having all but evaporated.

"There is an order of actions that all Shinigami follow, whether they realize it or not, and to see you skip so many steps and still come up short is as I've said, depressing" Ichigo continued while dodging Kibune's attacks.

"When confronted with battle, if one does not feel confident in their hands, they will consider their sword. If one does not feel confident in their sword, they will consider its first release. If one does not feel confident in its first release, they will consider its second release. You ignored your hands. You considered your sword for but a moment and almost immediately considered its first release. Do you understand now?" Ichigo asked before kicking Kibune's blade into the ground and holding it their with his feet.

Kibune struggled to raise his Zanpakuto from the ground with Ichigo forcing it down, "Don't lecture me!" he shouted in frustration.

"If your opponent is still confident in their hands, and you have lost confidence in your own, the gap in power between you both becomes evident. If you have a second release I suggest you use it, otherwise this battle is over" Ichigo said before letting up on Kibune's Zanpakuto, allowing it to break free from the ground.

A green glow began emanating from Kibune's left arm that was still concealed within his sleeve while he spoke, "I was a top student at the Shinigami Academy, much like you were, _Lieutenant _Fushou."

"I focused on becoming the most powerful Shinigami beyond anything else" he continued while his reiatsu steadily rose.

"Upon graduating I wasn't offered a position within the Gotei 13, and yet the fools beneath me were recruited despite the fact that they were weaker and their grades weren't as good as mine!" he recalled with venom.

"I eventually did join a division, but because I injured a member while killing a hollow I was put on trial in front of the Central 46. Why not use your strength to protect those weaker than you, they said. I couldn't believe their audacity, I was so disgusted with my division I left and joined an expedition squad" he ranted.

He finally took his left hand out from his pocket, revealing some kind of creature attached to his arm. It had a large yellow eye and several tendrils wrapped around and into his skin.

"This is my..." Kibune said but not before Ichigo interrupted him, "Bakkōtō."

Kibune was surprised to hear Ichigo say those words, evident by his widened eyes.

"How is it someone like you would know about this?" he asked, nodding his head at the Bakkōtō on his left arm.

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed, "They're not as big a secret as you think" he replied simply.

Kibune only chuckled in amusement, "I suppose he was right in his choice to enact this plan now rather than wait, he didn't overestimate your intelligence at all. However, your strength will only delay me for so long, _Lieutenant_. It's common knowledge that you're still recovering from battling the traitors" he finished with a broad grin.

"_This challenge did seem a bit too suspicious. It seems it's merely a ploy to kill me" _Ichigo thought.

"Tell me, what exactly does Kumoi Gyōkaku accomplish in this attempt on my life?" Ichigo questioned, surprising Kibune again with details he presumed weren't common knowledge.

"What makes you think I answer to that relic?" Kibune boasted, feeling a sense of achievement for knowing something that Ichigo did not.

"_Idiot. You just told me that there is someone else besides Kumoi involved" _Ichigo mused.

"I only agreed to this little plot so I could kill you, I could care less about the others" Kibune bragged, his arrogance clouding his judgment.

"What makes me so...special?" Ichigo asked, choosing his words carefully in an attempt to rile Kibune even further in hopes that he might let something else slip, it worked.

"_Special? Special! _There is _nothing_ about you that is _special!_ Why is it that you, who acquired top grades like myself was showered with such fortune as to join a division of your choosing _and_ become the Lieutenant on the first day! Then, to add insult to injury, you fell in the good graces of the Central 46 and became their puppet, even assigned to an investigation by them _personally!_" Kibune said, nearly raving at this point.

"You, who has just as much disregard for life as I do, gained the respect that I've worked years to earn. The reason I'm killing you is quite simple, to prove to everyone that I deserve the respect they gave you so freely" he explained before flash-stepping forward with Zanpakuto at the ready.

Ichigo, however, had used the time Kibune spent talking to use some healing Kidō on the wounds that had opened up during their previous scuffle. While his proficiency in healing spells were not as adept as his skill in Bakudō or Hadō, he hoped it might buy him enough time to defeat Kibune.

Ichigo deftly avoided a strike from Kibune, flipping backwards and landing gracefully on his feet, not revealing the discomfort his wounds caused him in performing the strenuous movements.

Kibune followed up with numerous vertical strikes, all of which Ichigo side-stepped, and quickly retaliated by bring up his foot and kicking Kibune underneath the chin, causing him to stumble backwards.

In Kibune's moment of daze, Ichigo pointed his index finger directly at the eye of the Bakkōtō and said, "Hadō #4. Byakurai" causing a concentrated bolt of lighting to shoot out and impale the eye and Kibune's elbow.

Kibune screamed in pain. He instinctively grabbed at his elbow, while his Zanpakuto fell to the ground immobile; the Bakkōtō had been disabled.

"You bastard, I'll..." Kibune began, but Ichigo wasted no time and took advantage of the opening by kneeing Kibune hard in the gut, causing him to wheeze in pain and fall to the ground next to his Zanpakuto.

Ichigo kicked the Zanpakuto several feet away from Kibune's grasp before he began drawing symbols in the air and his body glowed red, "Bakudō # 9. Geki" he said calmly and Kibune was immediately put in paralysis.

"Now" Ichigo began as he stood next to the still form of Kibune, "You will tell me who it is you're working for."

Despite the pain Kibune was in, he chuckled at the statement, "Do you honestly think I'll tell you anything _Lieutenant? _You might as well kill me now, I'm not going to say anything!"

Ichigo quirked an eyebrow, "What makes you think I am going to kill you?" he said before ripping the Bakkōtō off his arm, which caused Kibune great pain if the screams of agony were anything to go by, but he ignored them.

Kibune laughed after he recovered from the pain, "We both know the kind of man you are, don't try to play coy it doesn't suit you."

"Don't presume to think you know me at all, Kibune. Killing you is what you want. I feel more inclined to...detain you" he said thoughtfully.

Kibune remained silent, not responding at all.

"Yes, detaining you sounds like a much better idea. I wonder if spending the rest of your days in the Special Underground Detention Facility will change your mind about what you will and won't tell me" Ichigo said as he called for a Hell Butterfly.

This got Kibune's attention, "Special Underground Detention Facility?" he asked in curiosity.

"Yes, it is where we send Shinigami deemed too dangerous. I've heard some members refer to it as the Maggot's Nest because there seems to be nothing but trash in there" Ichigo said offhandedly as a Hell Butterfly landed gracefully on his outstretched finger.

Kibune considered his words, "Wait!" he yelled in an outburst of fear.

Ichigo smiled inwardly.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked calmly.

"What would you do if I...told you what you want to know?" Kibune asked hopefully.

Ichigo considered his words for a moment, "I'd kill you."

Kibune looked at nothing as he considered his options, "How can I trust you will do what you say?"

"You don't have a choice" Ichigo replied.

Kibune laid there, mulling over what to do, the gears in his brain working as he came to a decision, "Amagai Shūsuke."

Ichigo was a bit surprised at his declaration, "The 5th Seat?"

Kibune nodded in the affirmative.

"What is his goal in all of this?" Ichigo questioned.

"He wants revenge against Captain-Commander Yamamoto for killing his father, and death to the Kasumiōji Clan heir because of their development of the Bakkōtō" Kibune said.

Ichigo rubbed his chin in thought at the revelation, "Care to be a little more specific, I can't read your mind Kibune."

Kibune exhaled, "Amagai's father discovered that Captain-Commander Yamamoto and the Kasumiōji Clan were conspiring together in the creation of Bakkōtō. When Amagai's father was discovered, Yamamoto killed him so no one would find out."

Ichigo couldn't help but be a little skeptical at the truth of Kibune's statement. He doubted Kibune was lying, it seemed too elaborate to be a lie, and Kibune was hardly intelligent enough to be so dubious, despite his so called top grades at the academy.

"What is his name, Amagai's father?" Ichigo asked.

"Kisaragi Shin'etsu, he was a member of the 1st Division" Kibune replied.

Ichigo closed his eyes in thought before deciding upon a plan of action. Not a moment after and two members of the division arrived, "We are here as ordered, Lieutenant Fushou" one said respectfully as they were both kneeling.

"Ah yes, take this man to the Special Underground Detention Facility, make sure you replace his glasses and uniform with standard issue" Ichigo ordered, much to the shock of Kibune who still lay in paralysis on the ground.

"We had an agreement you lying piece of..." he yelled, but was soon cut off as Ichigo placed his hand over Kibune's face and simply said, "Inemuri" causing Kibune to fall unconscious.

"Yes sir" the two men said before lifting up Kibune and leaving the area immediately.

Ichigo summoned another Hell Butterfly and quickly made a message for Yoruichi, "_Our 5th Seat, Amagai Shūsuke, plans to kill Captain-Commander Yamamoto for the murder of his father, Kisaragi Shin'etsu. He also plans on killing the Kasumiōji Clan __heir because of their creation of a weapon called __Bakkōtō. __One of Amagai's accomplices, __Kibune Makoto, __tried to kill me with his Zanpakuto and __Bakkōtō, __he is now detained and __both of his __weapons__ are lying in the training grounds. I will head to the __Kasumiōji Clan __manor to intercept any assassination attempts and hopefully gather more information surrounding this conspiracy. I recommend presenting the Captain-Commander with the information I have relayed thus far along with __the __Bakkōtō, __I'm sure he has more information regarding this matter."_

Ichigo then departed for the Kasumiōji Clan manor, trying to close his reopened wounds once more with healing Kidō, which was surprisingly difficult to execute while flash-stepping. However, a memory of Amagai entering the residential area of the Seireitei made him cease his healing spell and put forth more effort in his flash-steps, hoping to reach the manor in time.

* Kasumiōji Clan Grounds *

Soifon was walking through the grounds checking in with two of her subordinates, Kenryū and Enryū, who were assigned to protecting Kasumiōji Rurichiyo, the next clan head to the Kasumiōji Noble Family. She had a bad feeling about tonight, which was why she thought it wise to check in with the members assigned to active security detail, such was one of her responsibilities as the Corps Commander of the Noble Security Unit after all.

Kenryū and Enryū weren't very far away as she could sense both of their reiatsu signatures, however much to her shock one of those signatures soon vanished, quickly followed by another, which caused her to quickly flash-step towards their location and forgo the casual walk.

She rounded a corner and was soon met with the sight of two dead bodies sprawled out on the ground, it was Kenryū and Enryū. The sight of a man with light purple hair and sword stalking towards a young girl brought her out of her stupor and she acted instantaneously.

"Time to die girl!" the man said as he brought down his sword, but was surprised to see a woman parry his strike and kick him back several yards, creating distance between him and the child.

"Perhaps you'll put up a better fight than those two did" the man said.

"My name is Soifon, 4th Seat of the 2nd Division, and Corps Commander of the Noble Security Unit" she said, not intimidated by the man in front of her.

He didn't think very much of her though, "Ha, that's quite a mouthful. You seem rather proud of such an empty title, but I'm sure actions speak louder than words for someone like you, so let me demonstrate how meaningless that titles is" he said before rotating his weapon, revealing a circular mirror attached on the hilt of his blade.

The mirror reflected light from the moon and shone brightly into Soifon's eyes, rendering her paralyzed and unaware despite the blade that etched closer to her face, "Nukui Hanza, your killer" he said softly.

As the blade was but a millimeter away from puncturing her eye, she managed to regain her wits and barely managed to avoid losing an eye, but not without suffering a deep gash along her temple.

"What's this? So you can back up that title with a little bit of meaning huh? Well then Soifon, show me what else you can do" Nukui said with excitement.

"Che" Soifon grunted, wiping the blood off the side of her face.

She quickly flash-stepped forward and engaged in battle with Nukui, incorporating kicks and punches along with her sword in hopes of defeating him, but he was holding his own against her assault, much to her frustration.

Not long after they began fighting, however, the arrival of the 2nd Division's 5th Seat, Amagai Shūsuke, brought her some hope, "Amagai, take Kasumiōji Rurichiyo-sama somewhere safe and inform Yoruichi-sama that I will defeat her would-be killer in a moment" she proclaimed.

Amagai merely nodded his head in acknowledgment before grabbing the child and flash-stepping away from the vicinity.

Nukui laughed loudly, but for what reason Soifon couldn't discern, so she chalked it up to mere confidence and continued in her struggle to defeat this man.

"_I'll show Yoruichi-sama. She'll have to recognize my talents after I defeat this assassin, then she won't be so enamored with our Lieutenant" _she thought with distaste.

However, her musings over her Captain and Lieutenant was a large enough lapse in focus for Nukui to capitalize on an opening and landed and strike on her right leg, causing her to scream in pain and lose her footing.

Now kneeling on her right knee, the pain in her leg making it difficult to stand, Nukui once more reflected light into Soifon's eyes and didn't waste any time by lashing out with his sword to slit her throat; but he was once again surprised.

A blade had parried his attack. A man with long black hair, Shinigami robes, and a badge wrapped around his arm were all the clues Nukui needed to realize that the man was a Lieutenant.

Ichigo was relieved to have arrived on time, however he was surprised that it was Soifon needing saved and not the Kasumiōji Clan heir, which made him wonder where the heir was exactly.

As he held back Nukui's blade with his own, he stole a glance at Soifon's eyes. The wide and fearful look in her orbs threw Ichigo for a loop as a memory came flooding back into his mind as he recalled the last job he was hired to do by the Taniguchi Noble Family, killing someone by the name of Shaolin Fēng. Realization had to wait as Nukui brought his sword downwards to cut off Ichigo's arm, but the 2nd Division Lieutenant had all but lost his patience after his encounter with Kibune.

Nukui paused abruptly after he lost feeling in his left arm, and after sparing a glance he noticed it was gone. Then the pain came, and he screamed in agony.

"Soifon" Ichigo said loudly.

After blinking several times and shaking her head to regain focus, she looked up to see Ichigo standing over her, with a screaming Nukui behind him grabbing at a newly made stump on his left arm.

Soifon was relieved to be unharmed, save for the gash on her temple, but anger and jealousy soon overwhelmed any feeling of relief when she realized Ichigo had stolen her chance at gaining Yoruichi's attention.

"_What?_" she replied with her usual disdain.

Ichigo inwardly sighed at her continuous behavior, "_I almost wish I didn't spare your life all those years ago, stupid woman" _he thought as his temper was becoming all the more difficult to control given his exhausting day.

"Where is the Kasumiōji Clan heir? Her life is in danger" Ichigo questioned.

Soifon stood up, trying to ignore the pain in her leg, "She is safe, I ordered Amagai to take her away from here while I dealt with Nukui" she replied as she motioned at the man in the heap of pain behind Ichigo.

"She is far from safe. Amagai plans to kill her and Captain-Commander Yamamoto" Ichigo informed her before incapacitating Nukui and sending a Hell Butterfly to members of the Detention Unit to imprison him.

"What!" Soifon yelled in outrage.

Ichigo closed his eyes as wariness seemed to be catching up with him, "Calm down. I have informed Yoruichi of the situation and she should be with the Captain-Commander at this very moment explaining everything. You must pursue Amagai and ensure that the Kasumiōji Clan heir is not harmed" Ichigo ordered as he began walking up the steps towards the manor.

"Why should I do that?" she questioned, her stubborn disobedience grating his last nerve.

"You are the Corps Commander of the Noble Security Unit, she is your responsibility, and it is you who has answer to Yoruichi for her safe return or unfortunate death" Ichigo replied.

That statement caused Soifon to pause in consideration and decided to relent, however begrudgingly, but not before she asked, "What about you, where are you going?"

Ichigo simply glanced back down at Soifon and replied, "To search through the Kasumiōji Clan records."

**Chapter 13**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Bakudō # 4. Hainawa (這縄, Crawling Rope) - Binds enemies with a Reishi rope to stop their movement. The practitioner generates a crackling yellow energy rope within his/her hand(s) and releases toward the opponent. The energy entangles itself around the opponents arms and body, immobilizing them.

Bakudō # 9. Geki (撃, Strike) - Geki is primarily used for disabling. The practitioner draws the symbols of the spell in the air which causes his/her entire body to permeate a red energy. The same red energy engulfs the body of the target and causes complete paralysis.

Inemuri (威眠, Forced Slumber) - This technique knocks the victim unconscious when the user places their palm in front of their face. For a moment, the victim's pupil's dilate several times before they fall unconscious.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

My apologies for the delayed update, but I was a bit stumped on how to proceed with the next few chapters and wanted to consider my choice carefully before writing them. If I can I'll write another chapter and release it tomorrow to make up for the week long postponement.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review or private message.


	14. Chapter 14

"You are the Corps Commander of the Noble Security Unit, she is your responsibility, and it is you who has answer to Yoruichi for her safe return or unfortunate death" Ichigo replied.

That statement caused Soifon to pause in consideration and decided to relent, however begrudgingly, but not before she asked, "What about you, where are you going?"

Ichigo simply glanced back down at Soifon and replied, "To search through the Kasumiōji Clan records."

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 14**

As he stared at the retreating form of Soifon, a moment of reflection struck Ichigo as he pondered over his recent outbursts since the day began. He found it a bit disconcerting that he didn't have nearly as much self-control as he usually did, and yet he had dismembered Soifon's would-be killer; prior to joining the Gotei 13 it would've been inconceivable to him that he would lose his patience or be unable to restrain the power in his attacks. However, he also had never thought it possible to befriend anyone, and yet already in the span of roughly one month he had opened up about his past towards Yoruichi, conversed with Kyoraku which he found surprisingly pleasant, and continued to find himself in a state of bewilderment in the presence of Lisa.

These people worked under the command of the Central 46, a group of individuals who had taken away everything from him, a group of people who he would eventually end with the tip of his blade. So why was he so easily becoming comfortable around them? They were the enemy. Surely they were all operating behind a façade, an elaborate scheme to throw him off guard, and yet he couldn't believe that with absolute certainty if the doubt in his gut was anything to go by. Why was he continuously losing sight of his objective?

His musings had to be put on hold for the moment however, as the mystery surrounding this recent plot for revenge required his attention, his injuries notwithstanding. Ichigo closed his eyes and inhaled slow deep breaths to calm his mind; it would do neither him nor anyone else any good for him to be distracted right now.

Ichigo continued his walk up the long and steep steps of the Kasumiōji Clan manor, the only discernible sounds coming from tree branches shifting from the light breeze in the air. If not for the current circumstances, he could've enjoyed the peacefulness this evening, but he knew better than anyone that life does not sympathize for a single individual; it acts and reacts under its own purpose.

As he entered the manor, he found nothing had changed since his last visit when Kumoi Gyōkaku, one of the clan leaders, had attempted to enlist his services during his time as a mercenary. Upon discovering the clan's involvement with Bakkōtō research, Ichigo had outright refused all offers of payment out of mere principle. Ichigo was disgusted by the very nature of Bakkōtō, along with those who desired to use them; the training under his mentor had precluded ever having such train of thought that would lead to the use of such devices.

As he travelled through the manor undetected, he immediately knew his destination: the underground laboratories. Their records surrounding the Bakkōtō research would all be stored there if his memory served correctly and thus far he had no reason to doubt it. After slipping into one of the rooms in the back, he opened the concealed passageway that lead to the underground labs and proceeded to walk down the stone steps.

Upon entering the lab, he noticed that some things remained the same, while additions to the lab had been made since his last visit. Liquid containers of several Bakkōtō were still in the same place, numerous swords were resting against racks lined up against the wall, shelves on the far side of the room held dozens of books and legers, but the dead bodies laid upon operation tables was something he hadn't seen before.

After ensuring no one else was in the room and all security devices had been disabled, Ichigo headed for the shelves on the far side of the wall and began searching for any pertinent information that could help shed some light on the situation. He didn't think his disgust and loathing for Bakkōtō could've gotten any worse, but yet again he was surprised that evening after discovering the cause for the dead bodies; they were forcing Bakkōtō onto people and monitoring the results.

Ichigo began looking for older entries and sifted through numerous records before coming across what appeared to be one of the first observations of their experiments.

_Entry No. 01_

_Date: 1838 A.D._

_Topic: __Bakkōtō_

_At first glance, it appeared that Bakkōtō functioned much in the same way of Zanpakuto. However, upon further testing and observation, we've deduced that this theory is incorrect. Bakkōtō seem to be parasitic in nature, as opposed to the symbiotic relationship between Shinigami and Zanpakuto; although Bakkōtō_ _could potentially match the strength of some Zanpakuto, further testing is required._

_Entry No. 02_

_Date: 1838 A.D._

_Topic: Bakkōtō_

_We observed the results of our first volunteer today. The strength of the __Bakkōtō seems to be directly correlated with its wielder. At the end of the trial, our volunteer commented that his reiatsu felt rather drained, it could be possible side effect of the Bakkōtō._

_Entry No. 03_

_Date: 1838 A.D._

_Topic: Bakkōtō_

_We observed with our second volunteer that unlike Zanpakuto, Bakkōtō are not exclusive to one specific wielder, as the second volunteer was able to use the same Bakkōtō from the first trial. The second volunteer also commented on his reiatsu feeling rather drained, the theory that Bakkōtō consume the wielder's reiatsu has been supported; the strength of Bakkōtō correlating with the wielder is also supported by these results._

_Entry No. 04_

_Date: 1838 A.D._

_Topic: Bakkōtō_

_After allowing the first volunteer time to recover from the drain on his reiatsu, he returned and we began the third trial and tested the long-term effects of Bakkōtō use. As the duration of use and reiatsu of the wielder increased, we discovered by the unfortunate death of the volunteer that practical use of Bakkōtō will not be recommended._

Ichigo skipped through additional entries that had apparently been written by a different researcher, as the original researcher more than likely retired from the project or was killed considering his last entry. Ichigo soon caught notice of a name however, and with great attention read the entry.

_Entry No. 113_

_Date: 1839 A.D._

_Topic: __Bakkōtō_

_The abductions for test subjects are starting to cause suspicion. Kumoi-sama is demanding results and our deadline has been shortened yet again. Fortunately we were able to apprehend a Shinigami sneaking into our lab before he could report to his superiors. After subjecting him to Bakkōtō we discovered mind control properties if subject has sufficient reiatsu to feed the Bakkōtō and subject is under duress. We ordered him to kill whoever sent him; we're too close to unlocking the secrets of the Bakkōtō to let some shinigami stop us now._

Ichigo didn't need a name to fill in the blanks. He took the journal and made a swift departure of the manor heading for the 1st Division. As he approached the 1st Division, he could feel two reiatsu signatures clashing, one of which was very erratic. He quickened his pace hoping to prevent further escalation, but upon his arrival it seemed as though the situation had become an even greater mess.

Buildings were toppled, debris was scattered throughout the battle zone, smoke was leaking out from the Captain-Commander's office, and two shinigami stood amidst it all looking at each other with contempt.

4th Seat of the 2nd Division, Soifon stood on one side of the battle.

5th Seat of the 2nd Division, Amagai Shūsuke stood on the other side.

Both Captain-Commander Yamamoto and Yoruichi were standing on the sidelines, the latter of whom had an arm wrapped protectively around Kasumiōji Rurichiyo's shoulders.

"Surrender Amagai" Soifon yelled at the man standing in front of her.

His only response was to grit his teeth and glare at her before charging and continuing their fight. They were both clearly exhausted and suffered numerous injuries, but neither was in better shape than the other.

Their flurries of punches, kicks, and trading of swords were interrupted upon Ichigo's arrival, both reacting differently to the Lieutenant of the 2nd Division. Soifon clenched her jaw angrily, likely wanting to inflict more pain on Ichigo than her current opponent, whereas Amagai grew more anxious as his plan visibly began to fall apart before his very eyes.

Ichigo paused in his approach as he tried masking his discomfort as his wounds had all opened up due to the strain he put on his body in trying to reach the 1st Division more quickly. After composing himself and putting forth a stoic expression, he said with a neutral tone, "5th Seat Amagai, would you care to explain yourself?"

The question seemed to bring Amagai out from his anxiety, "Carrying out my revenge!" he exclaimed before pointing his blade towards the Captain-Commander, "Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni and Kasumiōji Rurichiyo will die by my hand and I will cut down anyone who gets in my way!" he finished while pointing his blade at the young girl beside Yoruichi.

Ichigo's expression remained unchanged as he continued speaking with Amagai as though they were having idle conversation, "For the death of Kisaragi Shin'etsu I presume?"

Both Yamamoto and Amagai were both shocked by the question and for different reasons.

"I won't bother asking how you knew, but if you value your life stay out of my way" Amagai replied, shifting his focus back on to Soifon.

By this time however, given all the commotion of the battle, numerous Captains and Lieutenants of other divisions had arrived to the scene, which did very little to help calm Amagai down.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto will die for killing the shinigami Kisaragi Shin'etsu, my father" Amagai said with pause before glancing over at Kasumiōji Rurichiyo, "and the next heir to the Kasumiōji Clan will share the same fate for the clan's alliance with this murderer!" he said, anger trailing his voice as he referred to the Captain-Commander.

"I discovered my father in the field that he would regularly train in with his Zanpakuto, only to realize he had been struck down. In his dying breath he said the name of the person responsible as clearly as I am talking now, and do you know what he said?" Amagai spoke as he angrily recalled the memory.

"Yamamoto!" which shocked everyone present, with the exception of both Ichigo and Yamamoto himself.

Many of the Captains openly stared at the Captain-Commander in disbelief, but that didn't deter Amagai from continuing, "Several years later I changed my name, said I was from the Rukongai, and joined the Gotei 13, with the sole purpose of discovering the truth surrounding my father's death. I gathered information and finally understood it all, it was Bakkōtō. The last word my father spoke to me. However, this only created more questions, and upon searching for more answers I realized that my father learned of the Bakkōtō's existence by chance and sought to find the truth about them by himself. Finally, he broke into the Kasumiōji grounds, but was struck down by _you_" he said with venom towards the Captain-Commander.

"You conspired with the Kasumiōji and took part in their development of Bakkōtō. My father obtained proof…and you silenced him! Even as the Kasumiōji family's actions grew more suspicious, you refused to intercede, using the laughable excuse that they weren't under your jurisdiction! I swore to take revenge on you..." he said before being abruptly interrupted.

"Be silent!" Ichigo yelled.

For anyone who knew the Lieutenant of the 2nd Division, they had never witnessed him in such an angry state, and no one was more surprised than Ichigo.

"What a fool you are! What an embarrassment to think that you are a member of the Onmitsukidō! For years you learned all that you could to exact your _revenge_" he emphasized with a dismissive tone, "and it all amounted to _nothing!"_ he berated.

The concern in Yoruichi's eyes for Ichigo only continued to increase, which did not go unnoticed by Soifon, if her visible jealously was any indication. However, Yoruichi was not the only one present who grew concerned for Ichigo as both the 8th Division Captain and Lieutenant gazed at the 2nd Division Lieutenant.

Ichigo pulled out the journal he retrieved from the underground laboratory, "This has the records of the early experiments conducted by the Kasumiōji family under the authority of Kumoi Gyōkaku. The fact that I discovered this in a single evening only demonstrates how pathetic your intelligence gathering has been over the course of this plot for revenge! According to this journal, a shinigami infiltrated their lab where they proceeded to subjugate him with a Bakkōtō and ordered him to kill whoever sent him!" he divulged.

Amagai was shocked into silence and frozen where he stood. The revelation was undoubtedly invoking regret and confusion in his mind, and all he could do was stand there with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"This journal and the evidence of Bakkōtō alone would've brought those responsible to justice, and this misguided attempt at revenge been made unnecessary" Ichigo continued, his anger subsiding enough to speak calmly.

"It is against the law for the Gotei 13 to meddle in the affairs of the noble families unless the family in question breaks one of the laws of Soul Society beyond a shadow of a doubt" Ichigo quoted, "and here is the evidence" he stated before throwing the journal at Amagai's feet and disappearing with a flash step.

The fire and drive that had pushed Amagai this far had been extinguished, and so he collapsed to the ground as he cried silently over his grave mistake. The revenge that had consumed his life was now gone, and with it left a void that could not be filled. The sword of fate had fallen for Amagai Shūsuke this day, and Ichigo feared where it would fall on his day.

Ichigo ignored the pain as he continued to flash step through the Seireitei. He felt his wounds continue to open up as his flash steps grew in number, the strain only exasperating the deep gashes and cuts that decorated his body.

Eventually, his blood loss and severe dehydration caused him to misstep and fall to the ground, _hard._ He was sure his ribs had cracked and collar bone was broken, but he ignored the pain. He was in no hurry to get up, and so his body lay face down on the ground, somewhere within the Seireitei, with a pool of blood expanding beneath him.

The only thing that Ichigo could think of was his own plan for revenge, the paralleled history between him and Amagai, and the frightful possibility of not knowing the truth. He never considered that what he knew or may come to know might have the off chance of being incorrect, much like Amagai he has been consumed by revenge for most of his life, and that realization struck him square in the face upon confronting his subordinate.

As blood began pooling around his face that was pressed against the ground, he rolled on to his back and gazed up at the sky. His thoughts of the present were soon replaced with memories of the past…

* Flashback *

_A teenager was standing in a clearing within a forest practicing strikes with his sword; the swooshing noises it made could be heard by anyone standing nearby. He had black hair that barely touched his shoulders and auburn eyes focused directly ahead at an imaginary opponent, perspiration was evident on his face._

_However, a brief noise caught his attention as he paused in his practicing, his senses on high alert for any further disturbances he could detect._

_Suddenly a blade came swinging at him from behind, but he had felt the presence before the attack was even considered, and so with impressive agility he flipped in the air over the swing and as he came back down towards the ground he lashed out with a kick, striking his attacker in the wrist and disarming them._

_He turned abruptly after his feet touched the ground with his blade now resting against the attacker's throat._

_It was a woman. She had long black hair that draped softly down her front and back, gently rippling with the light breeze that danced around them. Her smile was serene, her eyes closed as she looked at him with affection, and hands up in defeat._

"_I give up" she said playfully, "don't hurt me Ichigo."_

_Ichigo withdrew his blade from her neck, but his features were still very focused on the person who stood before him, "What do you want Royd?" he questioned._

_The woman smirked before changing form, reverting into a boy with light colored hair and parted bangs, "How did you know it was me?" the boy asked with half disappointment and half curiosity._

_Ichigo's face relaxed and he smiled at the younger boy before him, "You need to work on matching her reiatsu, I can notice the differences" he replied while ruffling the child's hair affectionately much to the boy's chagrin._

"_You know I can't replicate reiatsu signatures!" Royd stated, running after Ichigo as he began walking away from the clearing in the forest._

"_Maybe you should ask your brother, he seems to do a pretty good job" Ichigo said offhandedly._

"_Yeah, but can he replicate memories or personality? Nope!" the child bragged while puffing out his chest, which only made Ichigo chuckle in amusement._

"_I suppose you have a point" he paused briefly as a thought occurred to him, "last one home has to help mom in the fields!" he challenged before sprinting away from the child._

_After recovering from shock the boy gave chase, "Hey no fair you cheater" Royd yelled as Ichigo ran ahead of him._

_Ichigo could only laugh as Royd tried catching up to him._

_After a couple of minutes they both arrived at a cottage that overlooked several different fields of vegetables. Ichigo looked at the scenery contently, and was soon smiling from ear to ear as the woman whom Royd tried to transform into was standing in one of the fields looking at Ichigo with motherly affection._

_Speaking of Royd, he finally caught up to Ichigo and continued accusing him of cheating in between panted breaths, but Ichigo merely patted him on the shoulder before saying, "Don't worry squirt, I'll help you in the fields with mom."_

_That seemed to cease Royd's complaining as he continued to try and catch his breath while bent over with hands resting on knees._

_The woman in the fields approached them and Ichigo soon closed the distance, embracing her in a warm and all-encompassing hug before taking a step back and waiting for her to address him._

_She smiled in response to his hug before her features became slightly sympathetic, "Haschwald needs to speak with you, and he requested that I send you over upon your return from training."_

_Ichigo now understood why she had that sympathetic look on her face, he despised Haschwald. He averted his eyes from looking directly at her, she could always convince him to do things he didn't want to do with nothing but her eyes, and they both knew it._

_So when her hand gently touched his cheek and forced him to look at her, he knew before resting his eyes on her own that he was going to see Haschwald that day. Therefore, it came as no surprise to him why he found himself standing in front of Haschwald's residence, lightly knocking on the front door._

"_Come in" a voice said from inside._

_Ichigo opened the door and walked in, he wanted to leave as soon as possible, but life had other plans for him that day._

_Haschwald was tinkering with a medallion before he glanced up and acknowledged Ichigo, "I see Äs Nödt was able to relay my message. How are you today Ichigo?" the man said before standing up and walking towards him._

_Ichigo's brows knit together in agitation, "What did you want Haschwald? I don't want to miss dinner."_

_The man merely smirked at the teenager, "As friendly as ever I see" he said with amusement, "it appears those thugs you dealt with last week are back in Fushou again."_

_Ichigo groaned with displeasure, "So much for eating dinner tonight" he said more to himself than he did to Haschwald._

"_Is that all?" Ichigo questioned as he made for the door._

"_You're free to go, Ichigo" the man said, sitting back down at his desk and tinkering with the same medallion._

_Ichigo ran over to Fushou, beat up some thugs who were stealing and beating up the locals, and by the time he began approaching Sabitsura it was already nighttime. His thoughts of a hot meal and warm bed soon left the forefront of his mind as the frightful sight of burning buildings and sounds of terrified screams soon grabbed his attention._

_He immediately began sprinting for home, and feared for the worst. The homes of his friends, neighbors, and family were all set ablaze and the sight of people running in the opposite direction of him with nothing but fear did nothing to ease his worries._

_His heart stopped as he ran over the hill that led to his home, it was bathed in fire. The cottage he had slept in for so long and the fields he had put so much work into were all consumed by flames._

_His concern for his mom and brothers instantly brought him out of his daze and he ran towards the cottage. After covering his face he quickly kicked open the front door and was soon shouting as loud as he could for anyone. However, after many breaths of smoke, burns to his body, and much searching for his loved ones, he couldn't find any bodies whatsoever._

_He ran outside, coughing the smoke out of his lungs, and never before was he so thankful to see Haschwald._

_The man ran up to Ichigo and supported him under the arm as they walked away from the collapsing cottage, stains of smoke and cuts adorned his face mirroring Ichigo's own appearance due to the fires littering their district._

"_Haschwald…where are they" Ichigo managed to question in between his fits of coughing._

_The man looked at him with what could only be described as guilt, and as he shook his head from side to side, Ichigo could only stand there feeling empty. He didn't need to hear words confirming his fears, by that point it was unnecessary, but that didn't stop Haschwald from speaking._

"_The shinigami did this…" Haschwald said while outstretching his arm referring to their once beautiful district, "Loyd and Royd were out in the field when the shinigami attacked… Äs Nödt tried to protect them but…" he said letting the words hang in the smoky air._

_Ichigo collapsed on his hands and knees, his eyes squeezed shut while tears bled out at the corners leaving a clean trail down his dirty face, he clenched his teeth and hands wishing for it all to have been a nightmare, but life would show him no sympathy._

"_How did they…find us?" Ichigo asked while trying to delay his mourning._

_Haschwald paused before responding, a telltale sign that the answer would only make him more distraught than he already was, something he didn't think was possible right now._

"_They detected a reiatsu signature…a shinigami reiatsu signature" Haschwald replied as he closed his eyes._

_His pain increased tenfold as he realized who Haschwald was referring to, causing him to scream out in agony._

"_His majesty has ordered all of us to retreat, all of us except for you. His majesty believes that where we would fail in retaliating against the shinigami, you may succeed" Haschwald explained._

_There was something about what Haschwald said that made the pain go away. He could avenge his fallen loved ones. He could avenge his fallen home. He could inflict onto them the pain they had caused on this tragic day. Ichigo's eyes opened slowly, tears no long falling down his face. He relaxed his jaw and hands, and stood up a new man. He could ignore this pain, put it on hold. He would kill all responsible, and when all vengeance had been carried out, he would face the pain upon his death and be rejoined with his family in the next life._

* End Flashback *

As he lay there in his own blood, unconsciousness soon to take over, he couldn't hold back the pain anymore. His growing attachment to those called enemy brought an overwhelming amount of guilt, with that guilt came doubt, with doubt his resolve crumbled, and with no more resolve he was left exposed and thrown back to that fateful day when he lost all that mattered.

He saw her face looming over him. Her black hair dangling softly as she leaned over him. The sun shone from above her, creating an angelic outline of her beautiful face. Warmth began to spread throughout his body, he was finally going to rejoin his family, and with a defeated breath he uttered two words with the upmost regret, "I'm sorry."

**Chapter 14**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

My apologies for the extremely late update, but I went back to college at the beginning of January and have been trying to stay on top of my grades (learning two computer programming languages at once is tasking to say the least) and I wanted to get used to the work load before adding my story writing into the mix.

I think I've found a rhythm in balancing school, recreation, and working on my stories so I will try to update every week, if not every two weeks.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them in a review or private message.

-OSA


	15. Chapter 15

He saw her face looming over him. Her black hair dangling softly as she leaned over him. The sun shone from above her, creating an angelic outline of her beautiful face. Warmth began to spread throughout his body, he was finally going to rejoin his family, and with a defeated breath he uttered two words with the upmost regret, "I'm sorry."

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 15**

He felt…warm, and soon noticed that he was laying on a soft surface. "_I must be in the next life"_ he mused as he merely lay still with his eyes closed, reveling in the comfort. However, two thoughts interrupted his relaxation: if he was in the next life, why did he still have his memories, and why wasn't he alone?

There was an absence of warmth on his face, as if a shadow had been cast and his head was now within it, but the rest of his body continued to enjoy the comfortable temperatures. He didn't particularly enjoy the sunlight whilst growing up, the dangers of the Fushou District may have contributed towards that learned behavior, as he only truly felt safe in the pitch blackness of the night; however, the warmth he was feeling was certainly helping change his opinion.

He soon realized that the presence he felt next to him was the likely culprit for the shadow cast on his face, and so with great displeasure he opened his eyes. As his eyelids separated, and his irises adjusted to his bright environment, his sight regained focus and was met with the image of a young girl. He lay there, his expression unchanging, and simply gazed into the eyes of this girl. She had shaggy light blonde hair that just barely touched her shoulders, copper tone skin, and an eye color that matched her hair. Her face was quizzical as they stared into each other's eyes, and he detected what could only be described as a cheerful smile, which lasted for only but a moment before all hell broke loose.

"Why the hell are you just lying there dumbass!" she yelled before stomping her bare foot directly onto his face.

Ichigo was a bit caught off guard, not only with her drastic change in demeanor, but also with how quickly she brought her foot down; her foot that was now grinding from side to side on his face as she fumed above him.

He lifted his hand and grabbed hold of her ankle, which caused her to stop rubbing her foot in his face and take pause. The instant his hand connected with her ankle he couldn't help but notice the smoothness of her skin; the warmth that spread throughout his body at the contact, however, was overwhelming both physically and emotionally for reasons he couldn't fathom. She had visibly reacted to his touch as well, but he was far too distracted to notice. He gently lifted her foot off his face and placed it on the ground, which he soon recognized as sand.

Ichigo slowly lifted his body as he remained seated on the ground and was thoroughly shocked at the sight before him; he was inside his inner world and it was daytime.

Ichigo glanced towards the young girl with question upon question to ask her, "Who are you child?" he asked while trying to stand up.

Her eye twitched as her arms began to shake and hands balled up into fists. After standing up and brushing sand off his clothes he looked up at her just in time to see her foot connect with his face as she spin kicked him several dozens of yards across the sand looking very much like a rock that had been skipped across water.

"I'm not a child…" he heard her scream along with several expletives he was sure no child should know while he bounced across the ground. He eventually planted his feet in the ground to slow himself down, but not before he was kicked in the back of the head, causing his face to vault directly into the ground.

She then proceed to land on his back and stomp the back of his head further and further into the sand while swearing obscenities.

Ichigo lay there, getting stomped on by this young girl, and couldn't comprehend how she was able to attack him with such ease, much to his confusion. He placed his palms on the ground and pushed himself up from the ground, wiping sand off his face with one hand, and stood upright once more.

He looked at the young girl who now stood in front of him with crossed arms, knitted eyebrows, and a look of indignation for lack of a better word.

"Who are you?" he asked once more while omitting any comments in reference to her age, lest he want to be kicked in the head for a second time.

With what could only be described as a triumphant huff, she uncrossed her arms and walked past him along the beach. Ichigo decided it was safe to follow and caught up with her, now walking side by side with the temperamental girl.

"My name is N***ō" she replied while sparing him a glance.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed, a sense of déjà vu hitting him, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand what you said."

She grabbed his face while propping her feet on his hip as he was over a foot and a half taller than her in order to bring her lips to but a breath away from his ear, inhaled deeply, and yelled at the top of her lungs, "My name is Nikkō!"

He grimaced in pain as his right ear ached from the loud intrusion, but surprise soon overtook his pain, "Nikkō…" he thought aloud before stopping in their walk.

"That's right, Nikkō" she repeated while pointing her thumb at herself as if to state the obvious.

Confusion was quite evident on his face, but he had far too many questions to get wrapped up in his musings, "Am I dead?"

"Che, as if I'd let that happen. Of course you're not dead!" she chided.

"Then what am I doing here?" he asked.

He felt weight on his shoulders and soon realized she was sitting on them, and while her legs came underneath his neck and wrapped around it, she soon began hammer fisting the top of his skull while yelling once again, "I'm finally able to drag your stupid ass in here for a heartwarming introduction and you have the balls to ask a question like that!"

"_Heartwarming?" _he thought dryly as she continued pounding the top of his head.

"What are you to me?" he asked ignoring her punches.

She ceased in her assault and simply sat on his shoulders with her legs wrapped around his neck, her elbows now resting on his head as she wore a look of consideration, "I'm the sun to your world" she said rather proudly at her explanation.

"I am already in possession of a Zanpakuto…" he stated but was cut off with another punch to the top of his head.

"It's not like I moved in yesterday dumbass! I've been here since the place was built, you just never answered my calls" she grumbled, but rested her chin on his head, obviously sour about something.

Ichigo considered her words before asking additional questions and analyzed what she had said, "_Their names alone indicate that there is some relation, but why do two spirits inhabit my soul? I remember the day Gekkō entered my dreams as though it were yesterday, I certainly don't remember this young girl…" _he thought while noting her body shifting around trying to get more comfortable on his shoulders.

"Where were you when I met Gekkō?" he asked.

He didn't need to see her face to know that she was clenching her teeth angrily, "Gekkō, that little brat! When I find him he's going to be in such a world of hurt" she said more to herself as he could hear her fist punching her open hand.

After several more seconds of her talking about hurting Gekkō, she calmed down and planted her chin atop his head once more before replying, "I don't know how, but we got split apart."

"Split?" Ichigo questioned.

"Yes, split!" she emphasized with another punch.

"We used to be one, but something split us apart and I woke up here" she explained while gesturing at the sunny beach in front of them, "and as much as I screamed, yelled, and shouted you couldn't hear me."

A question soon came to the forefront of Ichigo's mind as he recalled the one thing Gekkō said each and every time he visited his Zanpakuto, "_Did you find her?_"

"He wanted me to search for you…" Ichigo thought aloud.

"Of course he did idiot!" she replied, "Zanpakuto are not meant to be divided into two beings."

"So why now?" he questioned.

Her head now dropped down so that they were both staring at one another, it would have looked quite humorous as her legs remained wrapped around his neck, body lay over the top of his head, and face was practically touching his own while upside down, but the expression on her face evaporated any humorous descriptions for their appearance.

"You stopped repressing me…" she replied with a melancholy tone, "the day you pushed those memories of loss and pain into the depths of your soul is the day I went along with them. Those memories were finally allowed to confront you right before you fell unconscious, and since you were weak enough I was able to drag your sorry ass down here" she finished with a light punch to his cheek, and he soon discovered that her physicality wasn't a means of doing him harm or expressing anger, but rather a way to show affection, albeit in an odd way.

She ran her small hand through his bangs and scalp, the warming sensations being unlike anything he had experienced in his life as he closed his eyes at the feeling, and her voice took on a much softer tone than what he had heard thus far, "Accept who you are, Ichigo."

She gently kissed his forehead, and as he opened his eyes he found himself in what he instantly recognized as the 4th Division, with its Captain standing beside his bed.

"How are you feeling Fushou-san?" Unohana asked kindly.

"I…" he paused as he soon realized who it was he saw looming over him in the Seireitei after he had fallen to the ground, "I feel better, thank you Captain Unohana" he said, trying to convey his sincerity. Whether she noticed or not he wasn't sure, either way she smiled at him affectionately and began a diagnostic Kidō over his body.

"You had me quite concerned, Fushou-san. The injuries you sustained, while life threatening if untreated, shouldn't have caused you to be unconscious for so long" she commented as he began moving around his stiff limps.

"How long have I been out?" he questioned.

"Seven days" she replied simply, "and your reiatsu fluctuated quite dramatically in that time."

"_Suppressing those emotions…my past, and this is the damage it caused by letting them out of their cages"_ he thought while the last words spoken to him by Nikkō rang throughout his mind, "_accept who you are._"

"Has anything occurred during my recovery that requires my attention?" he asked, trying to get a handle on this new outlook on life.

"Not that I am aware of," Unohana replied after ending her diagnostic spell, "your wounds have all healed quite remarkably, even with seven days. You may leave at your discretion, but I would request once more than you do not make a habit out of this, Fushou-san."

Unohana left his room giving him privacy to change back into his uniform. After adjusting his clothes to be more comfortable and fitting both his badge and Zanpakuto on his person, he took a breath and exited the 4th Division, again.

As he stood outside the 4th Division and let the rays of sunlight bathe his body, he couldn't help but think about how he felt. In what felt like just yesterday he was an emotional mess and ready to die. However, now he felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He didn't feel different, but at the same time he knew that he had changed. Accepting that his family had died, regardless of who was responsible, and coming to terms with the fact that he couldn't have done anything to prevent it, freed him from the shackles of guilt and vengeance. He could now carve his own path in life, a new road to take for himself, and in that moment he realized what had changed. For the past seventy-four years he was dead, and today he had been brought back to life.

His emotions and feelings were still difficult to understand, but today it became easier, if only slightly. His state of mind notwithstanding, he still needed to fill the void left by his revenge, and he imagined that finding a purpose in this life could quite possibly take even more time than embracing his emotions would, and so he opted for what still plagued his mind: discovering the truth.

Ichigo's thoughts then drifted to the incident with Amagai and considered how they might react if they learned the truth about him and his original intention to join the Gotei 13; hiding the truth from them would do him no favors, nor would it do them if they learned the truth under similar circumstances as he did with Amagai.

Decision made, Ichigo summoned a Hell Butterfly and relayed a message to the 8th Division Captain before making his way towards the Seireitei exit for the Rukongai.

He was in no hurry and much to his surprise was enjoying the weather. As he passed by the 11th Division's entrance, however, he caught sight of a man he did not recognize under no apparent affiliation with the Gotei 13 mid-swing in an attack against what he surmised to be the 11th Division Captain. This observation lasted all but a moment in time, and in the following moment he had flash-stepped across the space of half the division and landed a kick on the assailant's ribs, which vaulted him across the other half of the division into the wall.

Relieved that his strength and speed had not diminished after all that had transpired over the past two weeks, he was a bit caught off guard by the fact that he was actually stronger and faster than before.

His observations, however, were interrupted by a rather deep and gruff sounding voice, "What the hell ya think you're doin' trash?"

Ichigo glanced to his right, and there stood a rather large man. He had a dark complexion, dark hair, dark eyes, and two spiked piercings below his lips; overall he had a very rough appearance.

"A man not within the Gotei 13 was going to attack you" Ichigo replied stoically.

The large man chuckle, "That small fry challenged me for my position and title."

Ichigo didn't react to his statement, which the Captain took for confusion.

"I'm Kiganjō Kenpachi, Captain of the 11th Division. Kenpachi is the title given to the strongest Shinigami. Ya can only sit where I'm at by killin' me, so trash flock from all of Rukongai to get what I have" the Captain said rather full of himself.

Ichigo had to refrain from sighing at the stupidity of this man and replied simply, "My mistake, Captain Kiganjō."

As Ichigo left the 11th Division, the man who had impacted the wall finally dug himself out, and although drops of blood ran down his face and coated his stringy black hair, it did nothing to detract the crazed smile creeping across his features and into the scar on the left side of his face.

It didn't take Ichigo long to exit the Seireitei and enter the Rukongai; fortunately he didn't have to wait long for the 8th Division Captain either as he was already there.

Kyoraku observed Ichigo's approach and gave him a friendly smile, "It's nice to see you up and out of bed Ichigo-kun!" the Captain said with relief.

Ichigo simply gave an appreciative nod as they now stood in front of one another.

"I'm curious, why did you ask to meet me out here Ichigo-kun?" Kyoraku asked as they walked through one of the closest districts to the Seireitei, the commoners observing them with silent awe.

Ichigo halted in his steps, apparently deep in thought, "I'm going to pay one of the east districts a visit and thought it prudent to invite you" he stated before looking at the 8th Division Captain.

Kyoraku chuckled lightly, "You see now Ichigo-kun, today is my day off and I don't think there are any pretty young ladies in Fushou District this time of year…" he said as if trying to wiggle out of going before Ichigo interrupted.

"Worry not, Captain, we're not going to Fushou District. Where we are going I have not been in several decades and besides…" Ichigo paused as he slightly bent his knees and a smirk graced his face, "_every_ day is your day off" he said before flash-stepping away.

Kyoraku couldn't help but chuckle before chasing after Ichigo with a flash-step of his own and they both ran east.

The trip was silent, not much being discussed as they ventured further away from the Seireitei. Despite the conversation that was soon to follow upon their arrival of his destination, Ichigo couldn't help but compete with the 8th Division Captain by steadily increasing the speed of his flash-step, curious to see if the laidback Captain could keep up with him. Ichigo was pleasantly surprised to see that Kyoraku had no trouble keeping up with his speed, and _almost_ laughed at the Captain's knowing smile, indicating that he knew what Ichigo was doing.

The light hearted fun had to be cut short, unfortunately, as they had arrived and Ichigo stopped abruptly at the district's entrance, his breath getting caught at the sight before him.

Kyoraku too couldn't help but gaze upon the district without feeling a semblance of sadness.

"64th District of East Rukongai, Sabitsura" Ichigo said, breaking the silence they shared upon arriving, "it hasn't changed at all since I was last here."

The buildings still remaining looked as though they were on their last minutes of life, their once brown and beige colored walls littered with black scorch marks. The fields, paths, and nearby vegetation all bore similar colors and were void of life.

"What happened here?" Kyoraku thought aloud.

"Quincy used to live here" Ichigo stated, thoroughly catching the Captain off-guard, but Ichigo patiently waited for the Captain's response, his nervousness increasing with each passing moment as he let the words digest.

The Captain looked at Ichigo, then back at the district, then back at Ichigo again, before settling on the horizon, "When you asked me about the Quincy…" he said, letting it hang in the air.

"Ah, I was, or rather still am, trying to find out what happened here" Ichigo confirmed for the suspecting Captain.

"I fled from Fushou District when I was a child out of fear for my life" Ichigo began, obviously struggling with telling this story out loud and to another person, let alone being comfortable saying it to himself; saying something aloud is as good as acceptance, sharing something personal with another is as good as trust, but not having the resolve to accept one's harsh past and losing a friend in the process of sharing said past will task a person's mental fortitude, and here he was doing both at once.

"I was taken in by the Quincy who lived in this district, more specifically, a woman. I became her son and she became my mother. She trained me in every way of combat that I could learn and when I grew strong enough I started paying visits to the Fushou District, helping the locals with the thugs and gangs" he paused, clearing his throat and shaking his head before continuing on with his story.

"On one particular day of going to the Fushou District, upon my return the entire district was set ablaze. It's strange that the district still bears the scorch marks when the fire was put out over seventy years ago…" Ichigo observed before resuming, Kyoraku listening with open ears and concern evident on his face for Ichigo, "I was told by one of the survivors that my mother, along with two children I helped care for were murdered by the ones who started the fires; apparently my reiatsu signature had garnered their interest and was what led them to our district in the first place."

Kyoraku feared the answer to his question, but he had to ask, "Ichigo-kun…who did this?"

There was a silence. It wasn't awkward or tense, but much like the silence one would experience upon realizing that they were about to die. It's not fear that coats the air, or panic, but simply a pause in time as you observe what it is that will end your life and then the moment passes with time along with it.

"Shinigami" he replied softly, anger not detectable within his voice, only confusion.

Kyoraku walked towards Ichigo, who stood in front of him with his back turned, and gently placed his hand on Ichigo's shoulder before asking, "Ichigo-kun, why did you join the Gotei 13?"

Ichigo couldn't help but smile weakly, at that moment he appreciated Kyoraku's keen intellect more than anything else, for he made it easier to get through this recollection of his past, "When I was told of my family's death, I was ordered to retaliate against those responsible, I became a substitute for vengeance in their stead…at the time it was easier to embrace than the loss of my family."

The grip on Ichigo's shoulder tensed slightly before relaxing, remaining still as Ichigo stood there unmoving and obviously pondering over old thoughts and memories.

"You needn't worry Captain Kyoraku…I gave up on my plan for revenge seven days ago" Ichigo said before glancing back at the 8th Division Captain, a relieved smile on the older man's face.

"However…" Ichigo interjected, "discovering the truth is something I will not give up on, I just…" Ichigo paused, struggling to find the words, but Kyoraku was kind enough to fill in the blanks, "Need to find closure?" the Captain asked.

Ichigo simply nodded his head slightly.

He then walked forward, the Captain's hand falling off his shoulder as Ichigo began pacing back and forth, "Things just don't add up."

Kyoraku raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean Ichigo-kun? I'm afraid this is the first time I've heard of this attack."

"Exactly my point, Captain Kyoraku; this occurred while you were a Captain of the 8th Division, and yet you've never heard of it nor are there any records of the official orders to assault this district. If the Gotei 13 were responsible, why cover it up at all? The Quincy extermination is on record, and the attack on this district pales in comparison as far as the death toll is concerned, so why make that public record but exclude this relatively minor incident?" Ichigo asked.

"I can only think of two reasons, Ichigo-kun. Either the Gotei 13 weren't responsible for this, or they're covering up something worse than this attack, and I can't help but think it's the former" Kyoraku replied.

"After investigating the matter in the Spirit Library and speaking with you, I came to a similar conclusion" Ichigo admitted before walking around the district as though he were searching for something.

"Then there's the matter of not sensing even a trace of Shinigami reiatsu within the district while the fires were still burning, an impossibility if the district was assaulted by a squadron, which is what would've been required to destroy it in the first place" Ichigo mused as he turned rocks over and knocked on the trunks of trees.

He stood directly in front of the tree and began taking equal steps, forward, backward, and sideways as he went in a seemingly random direction.

"If you consider all the facts and observations, it doesn't inspire credence when the man who relayed all of this devastating news has never had my trust in all the time I knew him" Ichigo stated with a grimace as he reached down into the ground through a hole.

Kyoraku paid no mind to Ichigo's behavior and focused on what he was saying, "Why didn't you trust this man?"

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly as he seemed to find something and began lifting his arm up from the hole, "He conducted experiments on me when I was first taken in by my mother, a condition for my staying in their district I imagine" he explained before standing upright and brushing the dirt off his arm as his hand clasped around an object before placing it within his robes.

Kyoraku stared down at the ground; the gears in his head were turning as he evaluated every piece of information Ichigo relayed to him, and then settled his gaze on the 2nd Division Lieutenant, "The only person who would know anything about this" Kyoraku said referencing the desolate district, "is Yama-jii."

Ichigo frowned, while he felt that Kyoraku could be trusted not to overreact to his intentions for joining the Gotei 13, he couldn't help but get the impression that the Captain-Commander would kill him where he stood if he had been made aware of his once existing plan of assassinating the Central 46.

Kyoraku seemed to pick up on Ichigo's worries and soon abated them, "I'll go with you Ichigo-kun, I'm sure he won't kill you with me there" the Captain said, the light-heartedness of his voice creating a confusing contrast given the content of his words.

Ichigo considered his options, and decided that the truth was ultimately worth it even if he suffered injury or more likely loss of limb if the Captain-Commander was involved.

Ichigo relented a sigh before nodding and the 8th Division Captain patted him on the shoulder with an encouraging smile and Ichigo wondered how the Captain managed to remain so laidback given what they were about to do. Ichigo and Kyoraku soon both departed the forgotten district and made their way back to the Seireitei.

Their return trip was much like it was in their initial departure; Ichigo felt like he had moved to the next stepping stone in finding closure, while Kyoraku was glad to know that Ichigo felt like he could confide in the flamboyant man. They were both very much concerned about who was responsible for the destruction of the Sabitsura District, but getting things out in the open seemed to do a lot for their nerves, especially Ichigo.

As they both arrived at the Seireitei entrance, Kyoraku informed him that he would talk with the Captain-Commander alone first to mitigate the flak Ichigo might receive and so Ichigo opted to walk within the Seireitei and try to enjoy the still pleasant weather that existed prior to his departure.

That is, until a blade came screaming towards his face and he had to deftly avoid the attack by leaning backwards at a near ninety degree angle before bringing his legs up and flipping backwards.

"Ha! Great reflexes!" his attacker complimented.

Ichigo looked at the source of the voice and wielder of the sword that nearly cut his head off, and was mildly surprised to see the man he had kicked into the wall of the 11th Division. The difference now though is that he was wearing a Captain's haori, which led him to believe the previous Captain of the 11th Division fell in battle to the man before him.

"I've been looking all over for ya, and now we can finally cross blades!" the man bellowed almost gleefully before charging Ichigo with impressive speed considering it wasn't flash-step, and as the overhead strike came screeching down towards him, Ichigo calmly side-stepped the attack before leaping backwards to create distance between himself and the newly appointed 11th Division Captain.

His dodge only seemed to excite the man even further, as he withdrew his sword out from the ground and charged yet again, bringing with him powerful sword thrusts and slashes, all of which Ichigo dodged.

"Captain…" Ichigo said before realizing he had yet to learn this person's name, and his attacker seemed to realize it too as he paused in his assault.

"Zaraki Kenpachi, Captain of the 11th Division" the man said introducing himself before going on the offensive once again.

Ichigo continued to dodge the attacks, "Captain Zaraki…" he stated before performing multiple flash-steps to avoid a succession of very fast strikes, "it is against the law to be dueling outside a division, moreover you cannot fight a Lieutenant of another division without the express permission of said Lieutenant's Captain" he explained while ducking beneath the man's outstretched hand as the Captain tried grabbing hold of his head.

Zaraki seemed to finally register what Ichigo had said, and with what Ichigo imagined to be disappointment, the Captain pulled back his sword and sheathed it.

"Fuckin' killjoy" Zaraki stated before a smirk came across his face once again, "What's your name kid?"

Ichigo relaxed and resumed his normal posture before replying, "Fushou Ichigo, Lieutenant of the 2nd Division."

"Eh?" Zaraki questioned as he glanced up in an attempt to recall a memory, "Fushou…ain't that the 80th District in East Rukongai?"

Ichigo merely nodded in the affirmative, much to the Captain's delight as he began to chuckle.

"I'm from the 80th District of North Rukongai, Zaraki" the 11th Division Captain stated, continuing to laugh.

Ichigo closed his eyes in disbelief, the Captain thought the similarity in how they got their last names was an inside joke of sorts, the humor obviously fell short of Ichigo's understanding, but that didn't stop Zaraki from laughing.

"You and I will eventually figure out which district breeds the stronger fighter" Zaraki said with excitement, the underlying threat not deaf on Ichigo's ears.

Kyoraku suddenly appeared behind Ichigo and with a nod they both left, the 11th Division Captain still howling excitedly with the discovery of a strong opponent.

Ichigo and Kyoraku didn't waste time in reaching the 1st Division, and although the prospect of talking with the Captain-Commander didn't put him at ease, he walked towards the man's office with a collected mind and composed demeanor.

Kyoraku knocked several times on the office door, informing the Captain-Commander who was knocking as if the man wasn't aware of who stood but a few feet outside his office, only Kyoraku had such audacity.

"Enter" a voice bellowed from within, and so they both walked inside.

Ichigo wasn't able to take in the appearance of the office during Amagai's attack, what with smoke spewing out from it and debris littered everywhere it was rather difficult taking note of the scenery at the time, but now he could observe it at his leisure and noted that it had everything the Captain-Commander might need for work-related activities, but nothing indicating a personal touch.

Ichigo was broken from his observations when the Captain-Commander spoke, "Captain Kyoraku has informed me of all the pertinent details of your situation, Lieutenant Fushou."

Ichigo glanced at Kyoraku, whose expression remain unchanged and was casually scratching his cheek, his soft smile still adorned on his features as he supported Ichigo by standing with him rather than against him.

"I ordered no such attack on the 64th District of East Rukongai, otherwise known as Sabitsura. Admittedly, this is the first I've heard such report and can offer you no explanation, Lieutenant Fushou."

Ichigo wasn't surprised, but that left him with the unfortunate likelihood in that his information was faulty, and his source had thereby lied.

"However" the Captain-Commander growled out, the authoritative tone in his voice not missed by Ichigo, "it is important that you detail these experiments you were subjected to, as well as the names of the Quincy whom you knew of, Lieutenant."

Relieved that he wasn't going to be imprisoned or killed on the spot, Ichigo nodded his head slightly before finding his voice, "I do not know much of the specifics regarding the experiments I underwent, as I was only but a child at the time. However" he paused before reaching within his robe and pulling out the object he had retrieved from the ground, "I know that this artifact was an integral part to the experiments and I had to wear many incarnations of it throughout my life in the Sabitsura district" he said, placing the object on Yamamoto's desk.

"I can only recall four names: Äs Nödt, Royd, Lloyd, and Haschwald. Haschwald being the man who conducted the experiments and was my source of information regarding the circumstances surrounding the attack on Sabitsura" Ichigo elaborated.

Yamamoto examined the object now resting on his desk before looking up at Ichigo once more, "Kyoraku mentioned a leader of this Quincy group, what of his name?" he questioned.

"I have only ever heard him referred to as 'his majesty', but I do recall another name mentioned, although I'm not sure what it means…" Ichigo paused as the memories of his past seemed to reveal themselves in brief flashes.

"Vandenreich" Ichigo recalled aloud, and not a moment later he was blasted off his feet by a monstrous reiatsu, causing him to roll backwards and he struggled to stand upright; forced to maintain a kneeling position.

He lifted his gaze upwards as his head was being pushed down as well, and he saw the Captain-Commander standing, eyes wide open, with a fiery reiatsu flaring all around him, causing him to endure a very dry and intense heat being in such close proximity.

Kyoraku managed to stand, although his shoulders were visibly being pushed down, and if he could see his expression Ichigo would be sure he was just as surprised at Yamamoto's response.

"That man…" the Captain-Commander grit out, his expression bordering uncontrolled rage, but his anger was soon doused as the office doors burst open and the sight of Urahara Kisuke made him regain his senses, reeling in his reiatsu, allowing everyone in the room to breathe easy.

"My apologies for barging in on…whatever it was I barged in on" Urahara trailed off as his confusion momentarily overtook his worried features.

"What is it Captain Urahara?" the Captain-Commander bellowed, still not quite calmed down yet.

Urahara shook his head to regain his thoughts before replying, "One of my inventions has been stolen…it's called the Hōgyoku."

**Chapter 15**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Gekkō (月光: Moonlight)

Nikkō (日光: Sunlight)

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Oh boy did I write a lot. I know this chapter has a lot of information to take in, some of it will make sense, and some of it will confuse you, but just be aware that as much as I'd like to explain _everything_, it wouldn't do the story any good to spoil things. If I have to be patient, so do you!

My main goal with this chapter was twofold: expound on Ichigo's mental and emotional state while making slow developments to his character (i.e. add layers to the character), and also to start tying some of his past together. Hopefully you noticed the similarities (and differences) between canon Ichigo's Zanpakuto spirits and my version's Zanpakuto spirits; I wanted to keep some things similar between the two versions, but since my version differs significantly from canon I wanted to implement some changes that would reflect his different life.

I'd like to know what you guys and girls think in how well I managed those two goals, the more specific the more helpful, but any other comments or questions concerning this chapter are also welcomed and appreciated. Hopefully with the last chapter and this latest one I was able to detail how Ichigo feels and conveyed the struggle he's enduring through words alone.

Furthermore, if some of the story arcs seem short, that's intentional. The way I have the arcs designed is that big arcs will consist of 7+ chapters, followed by a minor/transitional story that consists of about 3 chapters that leads into the next big arc.

My apologies if there are noticeable spelling/grammatical mistakes, I don't have a beta-reader and I honestly don't have the mental capacity to proofread a chapter of this size after having sat at my computer for hours on end, my brain is sludge at this point.

-OSA


	16. Chapter 16

"My apologies for barging in on…whatever it was I barged in on" Urahara trailed off as his confusion momentarily overtook his worried features.

"What is it Captain Urahara?" the Captain-Commander bellowed, still not quite calmed down yet.

Urahara shook his head to regain his thoughts before replying, "One of my inventions has been stolen…it's called the Hōgyoku."

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 16**

After Urahara explained the implications of this theft, the Captain-Commander called for an emergency meeting for both Captains and Lieutenants. The Captain-Commander, Lieutenant Sasakibe, Captain Kyoraku, Captain Urahara, and Ichigo all made their way to the meeting room and in short time arrived before the remaining Captains and Lieutenants filed in place and the meeting began.

A resounding bang was heard as the Captain-Commander slammed his cane on the ground, signaling the commencement of the emergency meeting, "This emergency meeting will now begin! 12th Division Captain Urahara Kisuke, if you would" Yamamoto bellowed with authority as the attention was directed towards the eccentric scientist.

Urahara simply nodded in acknowledgement before he began, "During my research and investigation into saving the disappearing Rukongai citizens, I came across results that lead to the creation of an invention I dubbed as the Hōgyoku" he paused as every person in the room held onto every word he spoke, the recent betrayal of both Aizen and Amagai having put everyone on edge.

"Upon further experimentation I soon discovered that the Hōgyoku could not resolve the predicament of the vanishing souls, and as such I locked this invention away and pursued other avenues that may bear fruit. Of course as you are all aware, thanks to the hard work of Lieutenant Fushou we were able to reverse engineer a cure for those subjugated to Aizen-san's experiments with the samples retrieved from his quarters" Urahara explained.

"Get to the point" the new 11th Division Captain growled out impatiently.

Urahara glanced at the man briefly before continuing, "After I was confident that the Captains and Lieutenants infected by the hollow vials were in no immediate danger and the commotion surrounding Amagai-san's betrayal settled down, I took stock of my inventions and discovered that the Hōgyoku was missing."

"What's so special about this thing that we were called to a meeting for it?" Shinji asked lazily as his eyes were half lidded and shoulders slouched very much resembling a sloth.

Urahara looked directly into the 5th Division Captain's eyes before replying with deadly seriousness, "The Hōgyoku is capable of dissolving the boundaries between shinigami and hollow, allowing one to attain the powers of the other."

After this revelation, Shinji's eyes were wide in shock and his shoulders bolted upward, a reaction shared by nearly everyone in the room.

"And we have reason to believe that Aizen Sosuke is responsible for stealing this artifact" the Captain-Commander interjected while sparing a glance at Ichigo who calmly stood behind Yoruichi.

"_Thank you, Lieutenant Fushou, and give my regards to Captain Urahara, you have both helped me immensely"_ Ichigo recalled Aizen's last words to him while every Captain and Lieutenant tried to digest the information being relayed to them.

The Captain-Commander slammed his cane on the wooden floor once again, effectively breaking everyone out from their thoughts and regaining their attention, "Aizen Sosuke has likely retreated to Hueco Mundo and as such 12th Division Captain Urahara Kisuke will be devising a way to open a gateway to the world of hollows" Yamamoto stated.

"Hueco Mundo?" the 3rd Division Captain repeated, clearly confused, "Why would Aizen go there? For all we know he's hiding somewhere in Soul Society" he asked.

Yamamoto glanced once more at Ichigo, who then walked forward and stood between the Captains before speaking, "Aizen was experimenting on citizens of the Rukongai, seated officers of the 9th Division, and eventually Lieutenants and Captains. Clearly he was attempting to succeed by exposing increasingly more powerful subjects for better results. Soul Society has no one stronger than a Captain, nor would you find anyone of greater strength in the World of the Living, which leaves only one world left for Aizen to find adequate test subjects" Ichigo explained as understanding soon shone on Captain Ōtoribashi's face.

"The theft of the Hōgyoku can mean only one thing if Aizen is involved: hollows being granted the abilities of shinigami" Ichigo concluded before taking his place behind Yoruichi once more.

"Prepare your divisions for war!" the Captain-Commander bellowed with a resounding thud from his cane as the emergency meeting was concluded.

The Captains and Lieutenants filed out of the room slowly as they all tried to wrap their heads around the situation, but not before the Captain-Commander spoke up once more, "Lieutenant Fushou, you are not dismissed."

Yoruichi quirked an eyebrow at Ichigo who merely halted in his steps and turned back around walking towards the Captain-Commander while the room was emptied of everyone except the two individuals.

Ichigo stood directly in front of Yamamoto with his arms held behind his back, posture straight and rigid, with eyes closed and face relaxed.

"I do not agree with your motives for joining the Gotei 13" the Captain-Commander stated with a neutral tone, a stark contrast to his anger from earlier in his office.

"Nor do I agree with your loyalties towards the Vandenreich" he continued as Ichigo remained unmoving at the Captain-Commander's comments.

"However…" the Captain-Commander said with pause, "your choice to reveal both your motives and loyalties despite knowing that I would disagree cannot be ignored. That choice alone is why you are not facing judgment by the Central 46. That choice alone is why you were not killed at the mention of the Vandenreich. It is that choice alone that I give you this opportunity to redeem yourself."

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes and was met with the hardened gaze of the Captain-Commander as they both stared unflinchingly at the other.

"Captain Kyoraku has vouched for you, Lieutenant Fushou" the Captain-Commander said with a sliver of emotion Ichigo barely detected, let alone able to decipher. Ichigo only knew that what Yamamoto had said held weight; there were implications to his words, unforeseen consequences Ichigo had yet been able to grasp.

"Captain Kyoraku will be held responsible for anything you do from this point on that does not fall in accordance with the law" the Captain-Commander explained, which caught Ichigo off-guard that Kyoraku would do such a thing for him.

Yamamoto did not miss the surprised expression on the Lieutenant's face, but was relieved if only slightly to know that Ichigo seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Ichigo looked down in deep thought, concentration etched on his features, and with slight pause spoke, "To clarify on my…loyalties" he began, "I have only ever been loyal to my family."

The Captain-Commander considered Ichigo's words and their sincerity before deeming them acceptable, "The leader of the group you know as the Vandenreich" Yamamoto began, gaining Ichigo's attention once more, "is a great evil who goes by the name Juha Bach. He attacked Soul Society nearly one thousand years ago and upon learning of your past and these experiments I can only assume that he will attack again."

Ichigo paid attention to every single detail, from the words uttered from Yamamoto's mouth, all the way to the inflection of his voice despite how controlled it remained. He filed every piece of information away and made sure he didn't miss a single thing as some light was being shed on his past, albeit possibly indirectly related.

"Dying to exterminate great evil, know that this is the spirit of the Gotei 13, Fushou Ichigo, and in the coming time of war we will all have to make sacrifices to protect Soul Society" the Captain-Commander said with finality before dismissing the 2nd Division Lieutenant.

Ichigo left the meeting room deep in thought, muddling over the new bits of information he had learned from the Captain-Commander, but his musings were put on hold as he recognized the 11th Division Captain speaking with Yoruichi.

Yoruichi noticed his approach and beckoned him over, the 11th Division Captain grinning at the sight of the 2nd Division Lieutenant.

"Everything okay?" Yoruichi questioned, likely with regards to Ichigo's personal meeting with Yamamoto.

"Ah" Ichigo acknowledged.

Yoruichi accepted his answer with seemingly no problems before regarding her fellow Captain, "Captain Zaraki here has requested my permission to fight you, Ichigo" she said nonchalantly.

Ichigo met Zaraki's gaze before returning his attention towards Yoruichi expectantly, "I have agreed to his request under the condition that no permanent damage is done" she said with a smirk on the corner of her mouth.

Ichigo simply raised an eyebrow at her answer, a bit surprised that she agreed to such a thing, but accepted her choice without complaint by nodding his head in compliance.

She walked past him but not before placing her hand on his shoulder and whispering in his ear, "I don't think you'll be able to manage fighting this Captain without drawing your Zanpakuto" she stated, causing Ichigo to remember the conversation following their battle for Captaincy of the 2nd Division.

"_I'm curious though" she said while he adjusted the band, "why didn't you use your Zanpakuto?"_

_Ichigo paused in his adjustment, and slowly looked up at his Captain, "If I couldn't defeat you without my Zanpakuto, using it wouldn't have made much of a difference since you too have a Zanpakuto" he stated simply._

_Yoruichi raised an eyebrow at his reasoning, "Well, that's a habit we're going to have to fix" she said before walking away._

Yoruichi left the two men to stand there in silence, until the 11th Division Captain laughed excitedly, "Let's get this fight started already, we can use the 11th Division's training arena!"

Ichigo looked thoughtfully at Yoruichi's retreating form once more before gazing at the Captain before him and nodding his head, "Lead the way, Captain Zaraki."

After several wrong turns and dead ends, both Ichigo and Zaraki soon arrived to the 11th Division training arena, which happened to be filled to the brim with shinigami fighting one another. Upon Captain Zaraki's arrival, the fighting within the arena ceased and a hushed silence permeated through the air, which was soon replaced with anxious excitement as it became clear that their Captain would be fighting.

"Captain!" a bald man exclaimed running up to them, dirt and sweat littering his bare chest as it appeared he had just finished fighting a fellow member of the 11th Division.

"Clear em' out Ikkaku, I've got a fight" Zaraki said with uncontained excitement, his blood crazed grin stretching across his features as his eyes lit up.

Ikkaku seemed almost as excited as Zaraki did, and not a moment later began yelling at everyone within the arena to clear out for their Captain, which they did happily and sat in the stands.

Both Ichigo and Zaraki stood at the center of the arena. Ichigo was the appearance of calm tranquility, while Zaraki was like a raging storm ready to be unleashed.

Zaraki drew his jagged blade, "Loser buys the sake!" he bellowed before charging Ichigo who had yet to draw his Zanpakuto.

The distance between them was closing with every step Zaraki took, and when Zaraki was within a sword's reach he brought down his Zanpakuto with a ferocious amount of force; it almost sounded like the air was screaming at being cut through with such strength, but Ichigo remained unfazed.

Centimeters prior to Zaraki's blade striking his forehead, Ichigo pivoted his left foot backwards and turned his body accordingly to avoid the sword, which was now embedded in the dirt beneath their feet.

Zaraki wasted no time, however, and quickly brought his sword towards Ichigo once more in a sideways strike aiming to split him at the waist, but Ichigo jumped over the blade and avoided injury for the second time.

As Ichigo knelt down after landing, he spun his leg out towards Zaraki in an attempt to trip the Captain, but Zaraki jumped over the leg sweep and as he came back down brought with him another swing of his sword.

Ichigo rolled backwards and another crater was formed by the 11th Division Captain's Zanpakuto. The momentum Ichigo used to move backwards allowed him to push off his feet from a crouched position and with deadly speed kicked Zaraki square in the face with the soles of his feet. The Captain was knocked to the ground and Ichigo landed next to his head, but Ichigo quickly dove forward to avoid getting his feet cut off as Zaraki swiped his blade sideways while he still lay on the ground.

Zaraki jumped to his feet and rushed Ichigo once more, executing a combination of vertical and horizontal attacks in the hopes of cutting the 2nd Division Lieutenant. However, Ichigo was able to deftly avoid the Captain's blade and countered with punches and kicks when the opportunity arose.

As Ichigo discovered yet another opening, he outstretched his arm and landed a punch on Zaraki's ribs, but he is caught by surprise when the Captain grabs hold of his right hand; effectively holding him in place, Zaraki brings down a vertical slash aimed for Ichigo's left shoulder. Thinking quickly, Ichigo sidestepped the attack by pivoting his left foot backwards for a second time, and with impressive strength used his imprisoned hand to uproot Zaraki off the ground and slammed him into the ground.

Ichigo jumped backwards several yards and creates distance between himself and Zaraki. As the dirt settles and the image of the 11th Division Captain lying in a newly formed crater comes into view, laughter can be heard, and it continues to grow louder with each passing second.

Zaraki sits himself up and is soon on his feet, which his subordinates respond to with zeal and vigor, cheering for their Captain excitedly.

"Fucking awesome" Zaraki exclaims, "just like that, don't lose that strength!"

Ichigo was confused at his words, unsure of what exactly the Captain was trying to convey, but he soon discovers its meaning when Zaraki's spiritual pressure began to dramatically increase.

As the spiritual pressure continued to skyrocket, it soon dawned on Ichigo that with this level of strength anything less than his sword likely wouldn't impede the Captain's coming assault, and much to Zaraki's excitement, Ichigo drew his blade.

Zaraki charged once more towards Ichigo, and not only had the Captain's speed increased two fold, but the strength behind his attacks had as well, if judging by the amount of force he was feeling pressed down on his blade was anything to go by.

Zaraki was relentless. His attacks were everywhere, a barrage of strikes Ichigo was parrying with his own sword, or dodging with his nimble body. The fact that Zaraki had yet to cut Ichigo did not deter him in the least, in fact, it seemed to spur him on even more and the spiritual energy put into his assault only continued to increase over time.

Zaraki brought down another vertical strike aimed at Ichigo, which he avoided by jumping to the right, and while the Captain's left side was still exposed Ichigo funneled reiatsu into his right leg and landed a powerful kick on Zaraki's ribs. Upon contact, the momentum alone vaulted the 11th Division Captain across the entire arena and into the wall, much like their first meeting when Ichigo attempted to save the previous Captain of the 11th Division.

Ichigo noted a light sting in his leg, but Zaraki suffered far more damage as his ribs were in all likelihood broken from the attack. However, as Zaraki dislodged himself from the wall he certainly didn't express any pain in his ribs as he ran towards Ichigo with his sword reeled back.

Ichigo choose not to wait for the Captain to reach him as he had done previously, and instead opted to charge the incoming Captain with his sword drawn back as well, which only widened the grin on Zaraki's face.

However, as Zaraki brought down his sword in what he thought would be an exchange of blades, Ichigo flash-stepped behind the unsuspecting Captain moments before contact and landed a spin kick on the back of Zaraki's head. The momentum created by Zaraki in charging forward coupled with Ichigo's kick propelled the Captain once more, but instead of shooting into another wall at the end of the arena, the Captain dug his sword in the ground as he was propelled forward and turned his body before halting it altogether.

Zaraki was still grinning wildly. He pulled his sword out from the ground and held it up once again, ready for another clash.

The 11th Division Captain's strength and durability alone impressed Ichigo, he couldn't deny the newly appointed Captain that much, but he knew that more was needed to counteract his opponent.

Ichigo had two choices: increase his own reiatsu or release his Shikai. After weighing his options and possible outcomes, he opted for the latter.

"Hide, Gekkō" Ichigo said whilst his arm remained outstretched to his side. The familiar blue tinted, white wispy smoke began to envelop his blade, which soon revealed the black and silver scythe he had sparingly utilized in combat up until this point.

Zaraki licked his lips and his grin widened even more if that were possible, "That's your Zanpakuto? It looks strong."

Ichigo didn't respond to Zaraki's comment, he simply held his blade in front of him at a horizontal direction before quietly saying, "Tsuki no zetsubō" and slashing across the air towards Zaraki's direction.

Zaraki glanced down at himself as if expecting to be cut, but upon discovering no changes to his person he simply glanced up towards Ichigo, "Eh, was that supposed to hurt me?"

Ichigo didn't respond, he only sped towards Zaraki and began lashing out with his scythe and while some of his attacks were parried, Ichigo was carving into Zaraki's flesh with little effort.

However, Ichigo was a bit surprised by Zaraki's response, he was laughing.

His laughter grew into cackles of excitement, exclamations of adrenaline, and his ever present smile bared his teeth in a grin of happiness.

Ichigo's next strike was parried and met with equal strength, resulting in a standstill of blades both locked in combat as one man looked on impassively while the other smiled ecstatically.

"That's an odd shape, can't say I've ever fought someone with that kind of blade" Zaraki commented as he calmed his cackles down to small tremors in his throat.

Ichigo's eyes knitted together in confusion.

"I think I'm used to it now, let's go for round two you and I" Zaraki stated before pushing Ichigo's blade away and slashing the Lieutenant's shoulder, the Captain licking his lips at the first cut received by the Lieutenant. The cut was shallow as Ichigo had quickly leapt backwards to avoid further injury.

"_Why does he seem unaffected?" _Ichigo thought as they continued trading strikes with one another.

"_Tsuki no zetsubō cuts light from the body. As we were once humans our dependency on light has carried over to Soul Society. Gekkō is able to rob his enemies of light and induce symptoms associated with light deprivation. So why…"_ Ichigo thought as Zaraki landed yet another shallow attack on his forearm, _"Why has this man remain unchanged?"_

Ichigo flash-stepped to the side in order to avoid an attack too close for comfort and launched himself forward offensively, bringing with him varying degrees of attacks that came at the 11th Division Captain from different angles.

"_I was able to expedite the symptoms with Tousen by provoking him with taunts and certain keywords because of his lack of emotional control, while conversely Aizen succumbed at a much slower pace. But this man…" _Ichigo continued to question as Zaraki responded very much in the same way he had at the beginning of their battle.

Realization dawned upon Ichigo moments before he leaned backwards to avoid a horizontal strike and flipped backwards away from the battle hungry man, "_He's of singular mind. His range of emotions are so limited in battle that it's no surprise Tsuki no zetsubō had no effect."_

His mind briefly drifted to something Nikkō had told him during their first conversation, "_Zanpakuto are not meant to be divided into two beings._"

Perhaps this division would explain these newly discovered weaknesses in Gekkō's special ability. However, he could ponder no further on these questions as he dodged another attack from Zaraki.

After two more hours of continuous combat, a visit to the 4th Division, and the purchase of several bottles of sake, both Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Fushou sat beneath some trees outside the Seireitei trading swigs of the alcoholic beverage as they relaxed in silence.

Ichigo found that the spar, if one could call it that, did much to relieve some of the stress and tension in his body. Zaraki seemed sated for now, but had assured Ichigo that this was not their last battle against each other, and surprisingly Ichigo didn't mind.

They had drank the sake away rather quickly, and after enjoying the shade for quite some time Zaraki stood up with a yawn while stretching his limbs, "Thanks for the fight Ichigo, I'm gonna take a nap" the Captain said tiredly, the combination of battle, heat, and alcohol making him sleepy.

"Ah" Ichigo responded, and as Zaraki walked away, a thought entered Ichigo's mind, "By the way…" he said as Zaraki paused in his walk, "Captain Kyoraku is always looking for drinking partners."

Zaraki turned and began walking away once again, but not before acknowledging Ichigo's subtle suggestion, "I'll keep that in mind."

As the sight of Zaraki soon escaped Ichigo's range of vision, he remained seated on the ground and leaned against the tree he sat beneath before calming his mind and delving to the depths of his inner world.

He opened his eyes to see the vast ocean, vacant beach, and full moon in the pitch black sky. He was slightly disappointed that his inner world had returned to normal, but his thoughts were interrupted by a voice next to him, "You found her."

Ichigo glanced to his right side and saw what he now knew to be one half of his Zanpakuto, "Gekkō."

"We occupy our own worlds, Ichigo" Gekkō responded to his unasked question.

"_They had been split" _Ichigo remembered as Gekkō sat down on the sand, and Ichigo soon joined him.

"How did it happen?" Ichigo questioned as they both looked out towards the ocean and bright moon, enjoying each other's company and the calming night.

"Do not ask questions to which you already know the answer, Ichigo" Gekkō responded cryptically.

A brief image of the medallion he was forced to wear cropped into the forefront of his mind and a small wave in the ocean was made before settling to still water once again.

Ichigo considers his next question as Gekkō peers at him thoughtfully, "How can I reunite you both?" he asked, glancing down at Gekkō and meeting his gaze.

Gekkō blinks slowly before looking out at the ocean once more, considering the question as silence passes between them and he stands up, "In all likelihood that is an impossibility, the method simply does not exist."

"I see" Ichigo replied, not falling into despair, merely accepting the reality of their situation, "What of the weaknesses in your abilities?" he asked.

"While reuniting us may be impossible, establishing a relationship with her should be your top priority" Gekkō replied, whether he was answering his question or not was not clear at first, but speaking in riddles and vague estimations had been Gekkō's practice since they met.

Ichigo closed his eyes and stood up, before opening them once more and sharing a look with Gekkō, "I understand."

As Ichigo began walking away, Gekkō spoke out behind him, "You must accept that which was previously rejected. You must embrace that which was previously held at arm's length. For any meaningful connection between you and her to be established you must accept the truths in your heart, Ichigo."

Ichigo inhaled deeply with closed eyes, and as he exhaled and opened his eyelids, he was back in the outside world. However, as he looked up from where he sat under the tree, his gaze was met with a pair of turquoise eyes.

Ichigo closed his eyes once more so he would not have to bear looking into those orbs which stirred so much within him, and after calming the storm of emotions that welled up within him, he spoke, "Lisa."

While she walked forward and choose to sit next to him, he observed that while previously confronted with emotions such as these he would normally push them down, ignore them entirely, and do all he could to repress such feelings from ever resurfacing. Of course, this always had little effect as they always came back more aggressive than before. However, now he simply controlled them, harnessed their wild nature, and granted them space to move freely in his heart, which brought a unique feeling in and of itself that he had never experienced before.

He couldn't dwell any more on the matter though as Lisa began talking to him, "I heard you fought against the new 11th Division Captain" she stated, a hint of curiosity evident in her voice, which very much reminded him of when she wanted to spy on the emergency Captain's meeting during Aizen's betrayal, which almost brought a smile to his face, _almost_.

"That is correct" he replied simply.

"Who won?" she questioned absentmindedly while considering his appearance.

Ichigo took slow and deep breaths to help calm himself down, the whirlwind of emotions nearly overwhelming him as he could feel her gaze upon him, "It was a draw."

"Really?" she said in disbelief, obviously paying less attention to the conversation and giving more attention to his body with her eyes. He was surprised at how she managed to sound so convincing at being interested in the topic. Perhaps she was genuinely interested, but simply managed to multitask in this situation of socialization, the basics of which he fell short of understanding, giving Lisa the advantage under these circumstances.

"We could not deal permanent damage to the other, and neither of us could defeat the other without disregarding that constraint" he explained before turning his gaze upon her, meeting her eyes and maintaining eye contact despite how uncomfortable it made him.

Lisa only smirked, much to his confusion, before she looked out towards the hills and plains before them as they both sat there enjoying nature.

"The last time I saw you" she began after several minutes of comfortable silence, "you were quite upset with Amagai."

Ichigo looked at her once again. She was still looking forward at the scenery. He returned his gaze forward and considered his words before replying, "Yes, I was."

He could once again feel her eyes on him, and so he returned her gaze. She was waiting for him to elaborate, if he was reading her features correctly, and so he divulged a bit more to quench her thirst for more details, "There was something in him that I saw in myself."

He maintained eye contact for a moment longer before breaking his gaze and looking elsewhere. The silence only made him more uncomfortable, and before he could begin regretting telling her such a thing, she replied, "I'm relieved to hear that."

Ichigo looked at her with confusion, and curiosity now graced his features as she looked forward, "For a while I thought you were devoid of all emotion, I'm glad I was wrong" she said in all seriousness, but of course moments such as those only lasted briefly when it concerned Lisa.

"All that's left now is to figure out if you're attracted to women or not" she said with the same serious tone used moments earlier, but as she turned and looked at Ichigo she couldn't prevent the smirk, or the hearty laugh from surging out into the open.

The red tint on Ichigo's face couldn't be hidden, and attempting to do so would only add to his embarrassment, and so he settled with a slight huff before avoiding Lisa's gaze. Unfortunately, this only brought Lisa to a louder fit of laughter as she relished in Ichigo's discomfort.

His wounded pride and discomfort aside, a small part of Ichigo couldn't help but feel that it was worth it in the end. Listening to Lisa laugh right now made almost any kind of embarrassment worth it in the end, and upon reaching that conclusion he resisted the instinct to throw these feelings and memories away as the words of both his Zanpakuto spirits rang through his mind.

Their intimate moment was soon disturbed, however, as an alarm within the Seireitei rang loudly and could be heard from where they were seated. They both directed their attention towards the sound of the alarm and flash-stepped back towards the Seireitei.

As they continued closing the distance, they could eventually make out the words being bellowed, "Attention! Attention! Hollows have breached the Seireitei, we are under attack!"

**Chapter 16**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Hōgyoku (崩玉: Crumbling Orb)

Gekkō (月光: Moonlight)

Nikkō (日光: Sunlight)

Tsuki no zetsubō (月の絶望: The Moon's Despair)

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

For those of you who were unaware, I provide status updates on chapters in my profile. Since I'm nearing the end of the semester for college, a lot of projects and final exams are coming up so it's been hard to find the time to write another chapter, but fortunately I found some this weekend.

I know I've kept you all in the dark (no pun intended) about Gekkō's ability, Tsuki no zetsubō, but I prefer things to pan out in a more realistic manner. Why in the world would you describe your Zanpakuto's abilities to your enemy? If they're your enemy you would do no such thing, but it's done that way in Bleach for the viewer's sake.

I can't tell you how annoying it was trying to make Gekkō a light-based Zanpakuto when so many abilities were given to the Ichinose Maki character (Anime-only character from Bount filler arc). To clarify how Gekkō's abilities work, I got the idea during my research from Seasonal Affective Disorder. The disorder is basically the result of not getting enough sunlight, which causes depression. If you go back to Chapter 11, during Ichigo's battle with Tousen, Ichigo is "_thinking" _the symptoms Tousen is experiencing as a result of Gekkō's ability: irritability, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, isolation, hopelessness, lack of energy, self-hatred, worthlessness, and suicidal. These are all symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder, which can both be caused by light deprivation. Anyway, that's my source and logic for this particular ability.

What did you all think of the battle between Ichigo and Zaraki? I tried to make it diverse and not too redundant with word usage and the fight sequence.

I hope the "development", if that's what it should be called, between Ichigo and Lisa wasn't rushed. I'm really trying to make sure that I remain consistent with Ichigo's ever-changing character and how that relates to his relationship with Lisa, so any comments on that would also be appreciated.

I know there are other parts to the story I haven't mentioned in my notes, but if you have questions or comments about them please leave them in a review or private message so I can use your feedback to improve the story, or clarify any confusion you might have regarding the plot.

-OSA


	17. Chapter 17

Their intimate moment was soon disturbed, however, as an alarm within the Seireitei rang loudly and could be heard from where they were seated. They both directed their attention towards the sound of the alarm and flash-stepped back towards the Seireitei.

As they continued closing the distance, they could eventually make out the words being bellowed, "Attention! Attention! Hollows have breached the Seireitei, we are under attack!"

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 17**

Ichigo and Lisa both soon arrived to the Seireitei and were shocked at the sight before them; dozens upon dozens of Gillian filled the sky as they shot massive Cero attacks down upon various divisions and structures.

Ichigo and Lisa wasted no time and began attacking the Gillian, neither one needing to share a look as they leapt into the fray.

Lisa drew her Zanpakuto, smashed its hilt against her scabbard, and released her Shikai, "Smash, Haguro Tonbo!" she yelled as her sword now took the shape of a pole-arm; its bladed tip resembling a spade, while a heavy steel ball was on the opposite end of the pole.

Ichigo opted to forgo the use of his Zanpakuto and settled with using his fists and legs, as it didn't require too much reiatsu behind his attacks to shatter Gillian masks.

"_Given my recent battle with Zaraki, I doubt Gekkō would prove very effective against these types of enemies" _Ichigo mused as he flash-stepped in front of yet another Gillian and landed a straight punch on its mask, which created spider web cracks before it broke apart and the hollow evaporated.

While the Gillian were hardly strong enough to threaten either Lisa or Ichigo, due to their vast numbers it was proving to be a tiring battle, for every time a Gillian would be destroyed it seemed as though three more would take its place.

Realizing that he had to conserve his energy, Ichigo strived for efficiency in his attacks and maneuvers as the battle was turning into one of attrition rather than power. He ran straight, punched, jumped left, ran straight, punched, and continued acting and reacting in a very automatic-type of manner.

While Lisa was not using an unnecessary amount of force to kill her enemies, she wasn't being nearly as efficient as Ichigo due to utilizing her Shikai, and since the Gillian numbers continued to only increase as their battle continued, she eventually began to tire.

Destroying yet another and avoiding a Cero in the process, Ichigo was amidst moving towards another Gillian until he soon discovered Lisa was in danger. She had landed a vertical slash on a Gillian's mask and as she was withdrawing her blade and remained slightly hunched over trying to catch her breath, she failed to notice a Gillian powering up a Cero from behind.

Ichigo flash-stepped towards her, and midway into the attack as it approached her unsuspecting form, she realized too late the predicament she found herself in as a result of her momentary lapse in concentration. However, moments before the attack would have likely burned her skin, Ichigo grabbed hold of her waist and flash-stepped out of danger, much to her surprise and relief.

They appeared several dozens of yards away from the line of the attack, Lisa still very much trying to catch up her breath, while Ichigo's heightened senses continued to observe his surroundings for any and all possible attacks. Ichigo was so focused on the battle that he had yet to release Lisa from his grasp, his arm still wrapped protectively around her waist, an opportunity Lisa couldn't help but capitalize on, "There are easier ways to feel up my body Ichigo, all you had to do was ask" she said almost passively.

Her comment immediately disrupted his focus and he couldn't help but stare at her incredulously as a blush began to creep up his cheeks, but he quickly relinquished his hold on her and stared back out at the battlefield.

"Catch your breath" he said evenly before flash-stepping back into the fight.

Lisa took a quick respite to recover before once again jumping into the fight and after several more hours of fighting and a couple more breathers for Lisa, eventually every Gillian had been destroyed.

Ichigo had built up quite the sweat, but otherwise seemed to have sufficient energy. Lisa, on the other hand, was sweating quite profusely and couldn't help but rest her hands on her knees as she inhaled deep breaths.

As Ichigo glanced over at Lisa, he couldn't stop himself from staring. Her hair stuck to her forehead due to all the sweat she had accumulated. Drops of perspiration ran down from her forehead, across her jawline, and eventually stopped at her chin before falling towards to the ground. Her agape mouth tried to inhale and exhale oxygen, which made him unconsciously lick his lips as he suddenly became very thirsty. Beads of sweat that failed to stop at her chin ran down the front of her neck, over her collarbone, and disappeared underneath her uniform. He could only imagine that those droplets had trailed in between her breasts and it was at that moment he regained his wits and composed himself. However, much to his horror, Lisa had at some point while he openly checked her out realized what he was doing and grinned at him in response.

She didn't say anything though. He wished she did so he could get the embarrassment done and over with, but it seemed that she was going to draw the teasing for this particular incident out for who knew how long. Lisa stood upright after regaining her breath, her smirk still present, and as she took a step her knee buckled and she stumbled forward.

Forgetting his embarrassment, Ichigo rushed forward and caught her around the waist with both hands.

"It seems I exhausted myself more than I thought" Lisa admitted as she leaned on Ichigo for support.

Ichigo was _very_ conflicted. The smirk she wore prior to stumbling made him suspicious on her sincerity. She could very well have been faking her supposed exhaustion, but he had no way of knowing as she had indeed used up quite a bit of her reiatsu.

Therefore, with slight hesitation and great discomfort, Ichigo fastened his right hand around her waist securely, and lifted her left hand with his own over his shoulder before helping her walk away from the battlefield.

Lisa was laughing inwardly, unbeknownst to Ichigo.

During their walk they soon were informed of an emergency Captains and Lieutenants meeting, and diverted their destination towards the 1st Division meeting room. Lisa, of course, paused several times in their walk with the excuse of needing to catch her breath, which only made Ichigo more suspicious, but since he had no way of proving her wrong he was forced to comply.

About halfway from arriving, Lisa decided to tease Ichigo even further, an activity she was finding to be extremely enjoyable, "Do you enjoy checking me out?" she asked.

Lisa could _feel_ Ichigo tense underneath her, and restrained herself from laughing at his reaction; she instead chose to patiently wait for his response.

"I don't know what…" Ichigo almost immediately responded, but he stopped himself halfway as he recalled what his Zanpakutos had told him.

"_Is this what they meant?" _Ichigo pondered, uncertain of how he was supposed to react. "_I shouldn't disregard my emotions…but I can't accept that which I don't understand" _he thought, frustration starting to settle in as the answer to his dilemma continued to elude him.

Lisa took note of his abrupt pause and recognized the confusion and indecisiveness in his features. While she certainly didn't regret teasing him, she couldn't help but wonder why he had such difficulty with the question.

"_I know he finds me attractive, so what's the problem? Perhaps he's scared of making that kind of declaration but it seems more…complicated than that" _Lisa thought as they continued walking.

Lisa was about to tell him that she was simply joking as she noticed how much he was struggling with the question, but he replied before she could speak, "Yes and no."

Lisa was thoroughly surprised at his admittance, and she couldn't help but notice the slight increase in her heartbeat, but unlike Ichigo she was more than capable of thinking clearly while broaching this particular topic, "Yes and no?" she repeated, seeking clarification to his answer.

"We're here" he stated as they approached the entrance to the meeting room, thoroughly surprising her in the process as she failed to notice that they had entered the 1st Division grounds, let alone arrive to the meeting room.

Lisa swore internally as her curiosity had yet to have been sated, and trying to pry information out of Ichigo after the meeting would be dramatically more difficult as he would have had enough time to collect himself. Cursing their mandatory attendance for this emergency meeting, Lisa took her place behind Captain Kyoraku and after everyone arrived, the Captain-Commander slammed his cane on the ground.

"This emergency meeting shall begin! Report!" the Captain-Commander said with a strong and authoritative voice.

Yoruichi stepped forward before speaking, "We estimate that the Gillian forces in this attack numbered easily in the hundreds. We also encountered hollows with broken masks; their power rivaled that of a low-level Captain."

"They are called Arrancar; hollows that have removed part of their masks to gain powers similar to that of shinigami" Urahara expounded.

"I guess Aizen is on the move then" Shinji mused aloud.

"Our division lost about seventy-five percent of its members in the attack" Kensei said angrily, barely controlling his voice from yelling.

"And most of the structures of our division have been destroyed" Unohana stated rather sadly.

Yamamoto absorbed all the information and examined it before responding to his subordinate's reports, "Aizen targeted our security and healing divisions. He has made the first move in this war" Yamamoto stated before sparing a glance towards Urahara, "How much longer until you are able to open a gateway to Hueco Mundo, Captain Urahara Kisuke?"

Urahara looked up in thought before replying simply, "Tomorrow afternoon."

The Captain-Commander looked thoughtfully at each Captain and Lieutenant as a silence settled in the meeting room once more, and Yamamoto broke that silence with growled out words, "We shall eliminate this threat before it can grow any further! An assault team will be created to invade Hueco Mundo and destroy the enemy's forces!"

Ichigo could understand the necessity of attacking Aizen's forces in Hueco Mundo, but he couldn't help the gnawing feeling he had in his gut or the risk they'd be taking by sending any team to Hueco Mundo, "_If the team has too many, there won't be enough left to defend Soul Society, but if the team has too little, they won't stand a chance behind enemy lines. We can't just let their forces continue to grow and do nothing, but if our forces aren't correctly allocated then it could be fatal" _Ichigo mused before the Captain-Commander garnered his attention once more.

"The assault team will be comprised of 3rd Division Captain Ōtoribashi Rōjūrō, 7th Division Captain Aikawa Rabu, 11th Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, 9th Division Captain Muguruma Kensei, 11th Division Lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru, 9th Division Lieutenant Kuna Mashiro, 6th Division Lieutenant Kuchiki Sōjun, 4th Division Lieutenant Yamada Seinosuke, and…" Yamamoto said with a pause before looking directly at Ichigo, "2nd Division Lieutenant Fushou Ichigo."

"Fuckin' awesome" Zaraki exclaimed excitedly at the prospect of fighting strong opponents.

Ichigo didn't pay much attention to the Captain-Commander's gaze or Zaraki's minor outburst, and Urahara spoke up once more, "Might I suggest that my 3rd Seat, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, accompany them in case they run into any complications while trying to return to Soul Society?"

Yamamoto broke his gaze from Ichigo and directed it towards Urahara before nodding, "Very well. 3rd Seat Kurotsuchi Mayuri will be part of the assault team for Hueco Mundo. The assault team will depart tomorrow afternoon. 2nd Division Captain Shihōin Yoruichi, you will incorporate the remaining forces of the 9th Division into your own and oversee Seireitei security. 4th Division Captain Unohana Retsu, the 9th Division will temporarily be used as our healing wards until the 4th Division can be rebuilt. Dismissed!" he bellowed before slamming his cane on the ground.

As both Yoruichi and Ichigo departed the meeting room, they halted in their steps as the voice of the 8th Division Captain called out to them, "Yoruichi-san, Ichigo-kun!"

Yoruichi looked expectantly at Kyoraku while Ichigo maintained a neutral expression and closed eyes, his hands held behind his back as he took an unimposing posture.

"We're going to be having a little party at the 8th Division. I've invited the 11th Division and was hoping your division might join us as well" Kyoraku asked, the hope in his voice not missed by either Ichigo or Yoruichi.

Yoruichi simply grinned widely, "Sure, I just hope you have enough sake!" she said while patting the 8th Division Captain on the shoulder sympathetically.

Kyoraku almost had a look of indignation, as if the very notion of not having enough sake was an insult to his pride as a drinker, "Of course I do!"

Ichigo couldn't help but be confused at the idea of a party, and it apparently showed on his face as Kyoraku brought him out of his reverie, "What's wrong Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo glanced up at the 8th Division Captain, paused for a moment in thought, and replied, "I don't understand why you are throwing this…party" he admitted.

Kyoraku looked as if someone had thrown cold water on his face, stole all of his sake, and informed him that he would spend the rest of his days on an island of men, "Why are we throwing a party?" he repeated with utter shock, the seriousness in his tone of voice only confusing Ichigo even further.

"We'll see you this evening Captain Kyoraku" Yoruichi intervened, waving them off before dragging Ichigo with her towards the 2nd Division.

As they walked in silence towards their division, Yoruichi decided to respond to Ichigo's question, "The party is one last escape before we're fully engrossed with war, it helps with everyone's nerves" she explained.

Ichigo looked up at her as she spoke up, "An escape?" he repeated.

Yoruichi simply nodded and as a sad expression graced her features, she continued, "It also allows the people who will not live through this war one last time to celebrate life."

Ichigo nodded in understanding and they continued their walk to the 2nd Division grounds.

After briefing his men on their new assignments for the upcoming war, Ichigo departed for the 8th Division as evening had come rather quickly with the amount of time the preparations for war had consumed.

As the distance between him and the division decreased, the volume of noise he could hear increased; laughter, yelling, clangs of bottles, and everything in between seemed to come forth from the 8th Division grounds.

He rounded the corner and walked inside the division, but was thoroughly surprised at what he saw. Men and women of the 8th, 11th, and 2nd Division were all drinking together, telling jokes, and sharing enjoyable conversation. As his eyes roamed across the grounds he soon recognized Yoruichi drinking with both Zaraki and Kyoraku, the latter of which was very animated as he told a story, causing the former two to laugh hysterically.

The camaraderie and openness not only made him a little uncomfortable, but also slightly envious at how easy it was for everyone to express such a wide variety of emotions and the ability to simply let go of their inhibitions.

He didn't dwell much longer on how they 'celebrated life' as Yoruichi put it, as he was perfectly fine with celebrating life in his own unique way.

Ichigo walked to a corner of the division where he spotted the sake; hundreds upon hundreds of sake jugs were stacked against and along the division wall, where Kyoraku managed to acquire so much sake Ichigo knew not, but he grabbed four jugs by their ropes before walking to somewhere more secluded and quiet, away from the festivities taking place at the front of the grounds.

Ichigo eventually hopped on top of the roof of a building in the far back of the division which had a breathtaking view of the Seireitei and offered a clear sight of the full moon in the sky, a perfect place for him to drink and enjoy the serenity of the evening before he too was confronted with war.

However, halfway through his first jug of sake, Ichigo's privacy was intruded upon as he heard soft feet touch on the roof he was situated. He turned his head towards the noise and soon discovered its source, Lisa.

She was smiling victoriously at finding him, and he then noticed that she too had acquired four sake jugs. She set the sake down next to his, sat beside him, and outstretched a saucer in her hand expectantly.

Ichigo relented at her intrusion, realizing he had become noticeably more tolerant of her presence since their first encounter outside the Central 46 chambers, and so he filled her saucer with sake from the jug in his grasp.

She downed its contents before outstretching her hand once more, "So what did you mean by yes and no?" she inquired as he filled up her saucer once more with sake.

Ichigo didn't answer immediately. He drank the remaining sake in his own saucer before filling it up and stared at the tiles of the rooftop deep in thought, "I…" he paused once more, downing his sake again as he tried to conceive an answer.

"It makes me uncomfortable" he said, gulping down his saucer once more, thankful he could keep himself busy with drinking in between talking.

Lisa took a sip from her saucer, "That explains the no. What explains the yes?" she questioned, realizing that teasing Ichigo had now become one of her favorite activities.

When he glanced up at her though, her breath hitched in her throat at his expression. At first he seemed to be searching for words, but as his eyes met her own, she felt like a storm was raging amidst his irises, the white sclera was trying to contain it, and his pitch black pupils were boring into her.

"Looking at you…" he paused, "makes me feel."

Lisa couldn't hold his gaze, and as she looked away and sipped at her sake, a feint blush tinted her cheeks. Ichigo wasn't quite sure what to make of her reaction, but surmised it wasn't negatively received as she didn't leave his presence and had held out her hand once more for a refill of sake.

"Yeah, I like you too" she said casually, looking carefully at him out of the corner of her eye.

His eyebrows knitted together, confusion gracing his features once more as he tried to process her words while looking down at the rooftop tiles.

She lightly punched him in the arm, "What's with that face?"

He looked down at his arm where she punched him, nostalgia hitting him briefly before he glanced up at her still thoroughly confused, "I don't understand."

Lisa would have thrown her hands up in the air out of exasperation if it weren't for the saucer in her hand, "What's there to be confused about when someone tells you they like you?" she questioned.

"I…" he began, but halted his words when Lisa glared at him for trying to once again state that he didn't understand.

Ichigo drank the contents of his saucer once more as he contemplated the right words to use, and as he refilled his saucer he said, "I have lived in solitude for most of my life."

They both downed their saucers in one gulp before he refilled them again, "That explains a lot" she thought aloud, "It's no wonder you cant socialize at all let alone know the intricacies of…" she continued with a pause before a smirk graced her lips, "intimacy."

Ichigo choked on his sake as he became extremely flustered at her remark, and although he picked up on the fact that she was trying to tease him, he couldn't prevent himself from reacting in such a way, much to his displeasure and her delight.

Halfway through the eight jugs of sake, they were still drinking in similar fashion as they were at the beginning, and neither seemed to be intoxicated to any noticeable degree. However, despite the enjoyable time her and Ichigo had shared thus far, Lisa couldn't help but dwell on what tomorrow would bring for her friends and the man beside her.

The possibility of Ichigo not returning plagued the forefront of her mind, and while she was indeed worried about her fellow Lieutenants and Captains, none of them were Ichigo.

The man she was slowly, but surely, growing to like with each passing day.

Therefore, she decided it was time Ichigo let loose a little and had some fun. Throwing any and all thoughts of anyone dying, Lisa scooted right next to Ichigo to the point that their hips were touching, she rested her hand on his back, and held out her saucer once more for a refill, "Try to keep up Ichigo."

Their close proximity and touching bodies, her hand softly rubbing his back, and the natural scent of her hair almost made him unable to speak let alone refill her saucer, but the taunting remark seemed to help him keep it together and so he met Lisa drink for drink, unknowingly falling into her trap.

They were starting on the last jug of sake. Their positions had not changed since they started purposely going through the sake, although Lisa's head was leaning on Ichigo's shoulder, but he didn't mind the contact so much anymore.

After drinking her saucer in one gulp, she outstretched her hand for a refill, but proceeded to fall into Ichigo's lap instead. She turned over, her head now resting on Ichigo's crossed legs, and she gazed up into his face as he simply drank the sake in his saucer.

Lisa thought she could get Ichigo drunk, and it might have worked if she had a greater tolerance, but after two saucers into the eighth jug of sake she could drink no more, bordering on passing out in Ichigo's lap.

Ichigo looked down at Lisa. Her half lidded eyes stared into his, a blush tinting her face due to her inebriation, and a soft smile adorned her lips as they continued looking at one another.

Lisa was struggling to keep her eyes open as they were intermittently closing and opening as she tried to stay conscious. As she peered up at his face, she couldn't help but revel at his eyes; scorching auburn irises looked down at her softly, the reflected moonlight only adding to their beauty, and it was at that moment that her eyes closed.

Ichigo finished the contents of sake in his saucer, and while the jug itself was still rather quite full, he decided taking Lisa to bed took precedence. After securing the jug of sake in one of the crooks of the tiled roof, Ichigo gently placed his right arm under her knees and left arm under her shoulders, slowly standing up with her body cradled protectively in his arms.

He opted to walk given his rather tipsy state, not wanting to run the risk of dropping Lisa, and made his way for where he imagined her quarters might be located.

Thankfully everyone had left and gone for bed, otherwise the sight of him carrying Lisa might cause unwanted attention.

After several minutes he located Lisa's room and carefully slid it open, revealing a room of simple design. He didn't want to look around or anything of the sort as he felt it might be an invasion of privacy, but he did catch a glimpse of some kind of magazines stacked on a dresser. Ichigo refocused his attention on the bed situated beneath him and he gently lowered the sleeping Lisa into it.

As he slid his hands out from under her knees and shoulders, before he could stand upright he felt a palm rest on his cheek along his jaw and fingers softly grab hold of the side of his neck.

Lisa's room was only partially lit by the moonlight from outside, and although it was rather dark where her bed was located, he could easily see Lisa's eyes staring up at him.

She was awake.

The distance between their faces was quite small, and he was so preoccupied with her beautiful eyes that he gave no resistance when she pulled his face closer. The inches between them were slowly decreasing. They could feel each other's breath on their mouths. A part of his hair had draped over his shoulders and brushed the side of her neck as he continued leaning closer to her body. Instinctively they both closed their eyes when only but an inch was between them, and their lips touched.

Her soft texture, delicious taste, and comforting warmth nearly made him collapse. The sensation was what could only be described as fulfilling. He was so emotionally overwhelmed by the experience that his eyes winced and he felt a lump in his throat. His heart was beating with such force and speed he thought it would explode from his chest.

Their kiss lasted for both eternity and not at all. The moment they shared was both the greatest and worst expression of feelings. Their connection brought both feelings of relief and fear.

Slowly the kiss was broken, and while Ichigo was trying to gain a semblance of conscious thought, Lisa softly whispered into his ear which brought him from his stupor, "Make sure you come back."

As he registered her words, he looked down at her once more and soon discovered that she had fallen asleep, only capable of departing with him a farewell gift and hope for safe return, the reality of war settling into him as he gently covered her with a blanket and quietly exited her bedroom.

That evening they were celebrating life, for death could arrive in the next moment. This was not only a time for one to relieve oneself of their inhibitions and enjoy the company of others, but to also rid oneself of regrets that cannot be addressed in the throes of war.

Ichigo eventually brought himself back to the roof where the eighth jug of sake lay unmoving and he picked it up. Filling his saucer, he stared out at the moon while drinking the sake, slowly coming to terms with the life he had worked so hard to forget.

After all, regret has no place in war.

**Chapter 17**

**Lex Talionis**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

This was a transitional chapter. I'm trying to set the tone for the upcoming war, hopefully I achieved that tone, or at the very least I'm well on my way. While the relationship between Ichigo and Lisa has indeed taken another step forward, it's not exactly a proclamation of love; if you don't understand I'd suggest reading through the chapter again.

Your feedback helps me stay motivated, so if you want to help my motivation or have questions concerning the chapter, feel free to leave a review.

I'm taking one class during the first summer session for college, so I will still be busy to some degree. I'm not sure if I'll be able to manage weekly updates, but at the least I can probably handle bi-weekly updates, I can't say otherwise until the classes actually start.

-OSA


	18. Chapter 18

That evening they were celebrating life, for death could arrive in the next moment. This was not only a time for one to relieve oneself of their inhibitions and enjoy the company of others, but to also rid oneself of regrets that cannot be addressed in the throes of war.

Ichigo eventually brought himself back to the roof where the eighth jug of sake lay unmoving and he picked it up. Filling his saucer, he stared out at the moon while drinking the sake, slowly coming to terms with the life he had worked so hard to forget.

After all, regret has no place in war.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 18**

As Ichigo awoke from sleep, he couldn't help but notice how refreshed he felt, despite the rather heavy drinking he did the night before and the emotional whirlwind he experienced with Lisa throughout the day itself. His thoughts wandered over the kiss he shared with his fellow Lieutenant and was for all intents and purposes broaching unknown territory. Life for him up until joining the Gotei 13 was filled to the brim with assassination, subterfuge, and the emotional disposition of a psychopath; nothing he had experienced thus far could prepare him on how to handle his predicament, and while he welcomed challenges of all kind, this one terrified him in a manner he wasn't aware existed.

Of course, any moment in which he could reflect and introspectively gaze at the problems in his life, a disturbance would always find its way to him wherever he may be and the disturbance on this particular occasion was none other than the 2nd Division Captain, Shihōin Yoruichi.

Upon opening his eyes he was greeted with Yoruichi's face that was only but an inch away from his own; passionate eyes and a sultry grin was plastered across her features, and all he could do was close his eyes shut and exhale a soft sigh that was laced with a seed of frustration as the beginning of his day started off like any other.

He could feel her hot breath on his ear, creating a sensation he was far too ill equipped to handle, and she whispered softly as goose bumps sprinted across the left side of his neck, "It's time to wake up, Ichigo."

All he could do was clench his teeth as he desperately tried to not let his emotions overwhelm him while at the same time giving them the freedom to surge uninhibited throughout his body, but unfortunately it would take more than ignoring her for Yoruichi to stop playing with her favorite toy.

She stopped supporting herself with her arms and opted to snuggle into the crook of his armpit while the index finger of her left hand softly traced the skin of Ichigo's bare chest, knowingly making him even more uncomfortable.

"Have you ever been to Hueco Mundo?" she asked, the tone in her voice was vacant of any teasing or playfulness that was present last she spoke.

He calmed his breathing, still trying to ignore her rather inappropriate embrace, "I have not."

Her finger ceased its movement along his pectoral, and as she pushed the flat of her hand on his chest to lift herself up, she simply laid beside him with an elbow propped underneath her lithe form, and gazed at him with concerned eyes, "There are hollows in that world more powerful than any Captain."

Ichigo cracked open his eyelids once more and stared at her curiously before settling his gaze on the ceiling of his bedroom, "I expected as much."

They shared a silence for what felt like several hours, but after a couple of minutes had passed, Yoruichi stood up from his bedside and exited through the door.

After observing and reflecting on Yoruichi's behavior, the seriousness of the day settled on his conscience and he prepared for their infiltration of Hueco Mundo.

A Hell Butterfly had relayed that the departure for Hueco Mundo would take place atop Sōkyoku Hill and early afternoon had come sooner than expected. Captains and Lieutenants of just about every division had attended to see the assault team off with words of confidence and moral support.

However, one Lieutenant in particular could not be found anywhere in sight, Yadōmaru Lisa.

Yoruichi gave him a reaffirming nod not with a playful smirk, but knitted eyebrows as her arms remained crossed underneath her chest. Kyoraku held a soft smile and gently squeezed his shoulder as he wished him luck, with the request that he return soon so that they may share a drink and story over his "adventure" in Hueco Mundo.

The slight disappointment he felt at not seeing Lisa notwithstanding, Ichigo reeled in his emotions and focused on the task at hand, for any mistake however small it might be could mean the difference between living and dying for any one of them.

"Eliminate any enemy you come across. Report back when the majority of Aizen's forces have been defeated" the Captain-Commander growled out, every Captain in the assault team nodding their heads in acknowledgement, with the exception of Zaraki who was getting impatient.

"Good luck!" Urahara chirped as he opened the Garganta and the assault team, one by one, walked through, none of them sparing a glance behind them.

Once in the precipice world leading to Hueco Mundo, they were simply greeted with darkness and a reverberating silence. Kensei lead the team and used his reiatsu to create a walkway and they travelled towards what they hoped to be their desired destination.

Ichigo took the rear and his senses were on high alert for any entity that may be following them, but for the entire trip nothing out of the ordinary caught his attention.

After a few grumbles and questions concerning whether they were there or not by the 11th Division Captain, Kensei stopped in his running as he felt a magnetic-like wall in front of him preventing any further travelling.

"Kurotsuchi" the 9th Division Captain muttered, calling the 3rd Seat's attention who walked towards the front with a device in hand.

Mayuri grumbled about Kensei's rudeness and began tinkering with the device he was holding, ignoring the 9th Division Captain's retorts. After several minutes of adjusting his device, a tear formed in front of them revealing a vast white desert.

"It's open" Mayuri exclaimed, ceasing Kensei's outburst. He took the lead once more and jumped through the tear down towards the desert ground.

One by one, much like how they had entered the Garganta, everyone exited it and leapt into Hueco Mundo. Ichigo was the last one to follow and just prior to leaping through he could've sworn that he had sensed a reiatsu signature nearby, but as he looked back towards the vast darkness they had travelled through, not a sound nor sight made itself known as he couldn't detect any reiatsu signatures in the immediate area.

After one last glance back into the Garganta, Ichigo leapt through the tear and fell down towards the desert ground of Hueco Mundo. He landed on his feet much like everyone else had and took in his surroundings.

The sky almost looked gray, but darkness swam over the land up to the horizon. The few clouds that accompanied the pitch blackness appeared to have as much life as the desert trees sparsely present in the white sand. The air tasted stale and felt heavy with each breath. The crescent moon was the only source of light, which only amplified the harsh brightness of the ground.

A voice soon interrupted everyone's evaluation of Hueco Mundo however, "Welcome, members of the Gotei 13 to _my _world, Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he instantly recognized to whom the voice belonged to, as did everyone else it seemed, "_Aizen Sōsuke_."

"Your visit was easily anticipated and I must express my thanks for being so predictable; it made preparations for this event quite convenient. I must apologize for being such a poor host by leaving so shortly after your arrival, but my dear Arrancar and I have business to attend to in Soul Society. Please enjoy your stay, members of the Gotei 13" Aizen said almost cheerfully before silence reigned over them once more.

"Kurotsuchi, open a gateway back to Soul Society!" Kensei growled out, anger evident in his voice at them being duped so easily.

Meanwhile, several powerful reiatsu signatures could be felt approaching their location quickly and Ichigo could only regret ignoring the gnawing feeling he had in his gut yesterday in the emergency Captains and Lieutenants meeting.

"It's not working, something is preventing any portals from being opened" Kurotsuchi responded while continuing to tinker with the device in his hand.

"Dammit!" Kensei exclaimed, frustrated by their predicament.

"We should split up. One group stays here to deal with those hollows coming our way while Kurotsuchi tries to reopen a Garganta, and another group will handle Aizen's remaining forces in that structure over there" Love said, slightly exasperated at their situation but otherwise not unnerved to the extent of Kensei.

"A device must be preventing me from creating a portal to Soul Society. I will attempt to circumnavigate its effects, but destroying it will greatly expedite my progress" Kurotsuchi muttered, to which Love simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"Rose, Lieutenant Fushou, Lieutenant Yamada, Lieutenant Kuchiki, and I will head towards the structure, the rest of you remain here" Love stated.

They immediately began flash-stepping towards the structure off in the distance, taking a route that wouldn't intersect with the incoming hollows. Sand was kicked up in every direction as the five pairs of feet quickly sped across the desert, the structure becoming larger and larger as they closed the distance between it and them.

As they landed atop what appeared to be a subsection of the structure, Ichigo spoke up, "We could speed this up if I went in search for whatever device is preventing us from leaving, Captain Aikawa."

Love regarded Ichigo briefly before nodding his head, "Don't engage anyone in combat, just find that device and destroy it, we'll take care of the bad guys" the 7th Division Captain said lightly.

Ichigo simply nodded before vanishing from their sight in a flash-step, masking his reiatsu while covering twice the ground that they had managed thus far in their infiltration of this monstrous structure.

"Look at em' go" Love chuckled, while Rose simply rolled his eyes at his fellow Captain's antics.

Their attention was immediately refocused however, as a presence made itself known, "I have been tasked with protecting Las Noches, and so I must ask that you leave" a voice stated as a figure walked out from around the corner of the entrance in front of them.

The figure was that of a slender, yet fairly muscular man of average height. Short, messy black hair ran down his scalp and pale white skin. His upper lip was completely black and he stared at them with green eyes and slit-shaped pupils; teal lines descended from the lower part of his eyes down to his jaw line. He wore a white jacket, black sash, and white hakama. His jacket had rather long coattails and his collar rose quite high. A broken white mask adorned the top-left side of his head, forming a broken horned helmet.

Love quirked his eyebrows at the man in front of him, whom he easily recognized as an Arrancar, "You sure look depressing. Sorry, but we're not leaving till you and all your friends have been handled" he said nonchalantly.

The Arrancar regarded them for only but a moment longer before closing his eyes briefly, "So be it" he stated before drawing his sword and a massive amount of reiatsu was pressed down on them.

"Ulquiorra Cifer, Quinto Espada in Aizen-sama's army" the Arrancar stated before rushing toward Love, who barely managed to draw his Zanpakuto and parry the strike.

Love's eyes widened in surprised at the Arrancar's strength, worry was settling within him as it became evident that there were more powerful Arrancar than Ulquiorra that they would have to contend against.

Ulquiorra pushed Love's blade away before kicking him square in the chest sending him flying into a nearby wall and proceeded to attack Rose.

Love withdrew himself from the wall and jumped back into the fight against the Quinto Espada, "Yamada…Kuchiki…go meet up with Ichigo while Rose and I deal with this guy!" the 7th Division Captain managed to grit out as he struggled to match Ulquiorra's strength.

"Hai!" they both replied before flash-stepping into what they now knew to be called Las Noches in search for the 2nd Division Lieutenant.

Each corridor, wall, and passageway all looked the same to both Lieutenant Yamada and Lieutenant Kuchiki as they both carefully flash-stepped through Las Noches in hopes of finding their fellow Lieutenant, but neither knew if they were getting closer or farther away from their destination as Ichigo was concealing is reiatsu perfectly.

However, unlike Ichigo, their reiatsu was not concealed as efficiently and so attention was eventually drawn to them in the form of yet another Arrancar as they were intercepted midway through another flash-step.

"I am Zommari Rureaux, Octava Espada" the Arrancar stated as both Lieutenants adjusted their footing in preparation for an incoming attack much like they witnessed with the Quinto Espada who was now fighting both Captain Ōtoribashi and Captain Aikawa.

Zommari simply stood there unmoving as he stared at them both expectantly, "What are your names, shinigami?" he asked.

The Lieutenants both shared a look with each other before answering, neither one letting down their guard for a second, "4th Division Lieutenant, Yamada Seinosuke."

The other Lieutenant responded in kind not long after, "6th Division Lieutenant, Kuchiki Sojun."

Zommari was tall, muscular, and dark-skinned, with large lips. It appeared as though the remnants of his mask consisted of a row of bony spikes along the crest of his head, creating something similar to a Mohawk hairstyle along with a pair of skull-shaped earrings and a thick bony necklace. Aside from the bony spikes on his head he was completely bald and had yellow eyes. His jacket appeared to be a mandarin-style uniform with a small opening at his chest area, and wore a hakama similar to that of Ulquiorra, along with traditional martial arts training shoes.

"Why do you wait to attack, shinigami?" Zommari asked, having maintained his position since arriving.

Seinosuke's eyes narrowed slightly at the taunt, while Sojun maintained his composure unlike his fellow Lieutenant. Seinosuke didn't wait a moment longer before he flash-stepped forward with his Zanpakuto reeled back to strike, ignoring Sojun's pleas to stop.

Zommari easily dodged Seinosuke's reckless attack and slashed across the Lieutenant's chest with his blade before kicking him in the ribs, vaulting the 4th Division Lieutenant into a nearby wall, leaving Sojun alone to deal with the Espada.

Sojun swore internally at his predicament and Seinosuke's rash behavior, the necessity of caution increasing dramatically now that his fellow Lieutenant lay unconscious several yards away.

Sojun went on the offensive against Zommari, although with a much clearer head than his comrade, which allowed him to narrowly dodge and parry the Arrancar's deadly attacks.

"You must be angry at me for defeating your friend so easily" Zommari stated whilst they crossed blades with one another, the taunt quite evident to Sojun who maintained his composure.

"It is pointless to continue this battle, you do not stand a fighting chance, Lieutenant Kuchiki" Zommari stated, his attempts to disrupt Sojun's focus failing yet again.

The 6th Division Lieutenant narrowly dodged an attempted stab by Zommari and soon discovered that the Arrancar had created a copy of himself, much to Sojun's surprise.

"I have the fastest sonido of all the Espada. By adding in a few more steps I can create a clone of myself. There is no shame in being surprised by this technique as it is akin to a magic trick, and as such is intended to evoke such reaction" Zommari boasted of himself while simultaneously speaking to Sojun with a condescending tone.

Sojun surmised that Zommari's ability to clone himself was not limited to one copy, for underestimating an opponent in enemy territory was a novice mistake he would not succumb to, and his estimation proved accurate as he flash-stepped away from last he stood to dodge a second copy of the Octava Espada.

Their battle continued. Sojun was unable to land any attacks on the original Zommari, the numerous clones making it difficult to discern which reiatsu signature belonged to the original, but fortunately Zommari was also just as unsuccessful in harming Sojun, which slowly began to irritate the Espada.

"I can see in your face that you think it possible to defeat me. I shall destroy that confidence and put you to shame then" Zommari stated before squatting down with his knees pointed outward and levitating his sword in front of him. He let go of his sword which remained floating, clasped his hands together, and rotated his head ninety degrees despite the cracks in his neck that could be heard before saying, "Brujería!"

His sword bent into the shape of an edged spiral and a thick white smoke began to emit from the corners of the spiral, eventually covering his body only to transform into a thick, white, foamy liquid mixing with his energy. As the liquid disappeared, Zommari's new form was revealed; dozens of eyes covered his body and his legs along with the rest of his lower body was now covered with a pink pumpkin-like structure, surrounded by cyclopean faces that somewhat resemble his own face.

"I shall take the sovereignty of your confidence!" Zommari bellowed and one of the eyes on both his shoulder and chest began to glow a deep purple, which Sojun interpreted as the time to move and so he flash-stepped behind Zommari in order to avoid a possible attack.

Zommari glanced behind him and a smirk ran up his face, "It is too late Lieutenant Kuchiki, I have taken your sovereignty…" he stated before glancing at the unconscious form of Seinosuke, "and his too."

Sojun spared a glance at Seinosuke and was able to make out a sun-shaped marking on the 4th Division Lieutenant's forehead. Sojun wasn't sure of the meaning behind this symbol, but as he unknowingly had the same symbol on the side of his own face, the implications were soon made very apparent as he realized that control of his body was no longer in his hands.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was carefully traversing through Las Noches in search of the device preventing them from leaving Hueco Mundo, but such task was proving more difficult than he expected. He had narrowly bypassed the Arrancar now doing battle against both Captains outside the entrance and he had yet to come across any other enemies since entering the enemy base.

The corridors all bore an identical resemblance to one another, but having mapped each reiatsu signature in his head Ichigo was able to create a makeshift map in order to narrow down each possible location for the device he was searching for, but he was running out of time. The reiatsu levels of both Captains and Arrancar doing battle were not only increasing but moving to increasingly higher elevations, while the Lieutenants he soon realized had just recently been confronted by another Arrancar.

He refocused on the task at hand, leaping across the beams high up in the ceiling towards the next possible location of the device. Ichigo had already covered a third of Las Noches, and as luck would have it the section he had just arrived to was emanating a strange type of energy.

However, as he scanned the surrounding area for any reiatsu signatures, he could sense at least a dozen past the entrance he observed up on his perch in the ceiling. Despite the majority of the signatures being rather weak, with the exception of one, he didn't want to risk being discovered while he searched for this device. He racked his brain attempting to formulate a plan, and thankfully it came to him in the form of Kidō.

He leapt down to the floor from the ceiling and pointed his palm into the open hallway away from the entrance. After softly whispering, "Hadō #31, Shakkahō" at least twenty times over, all of which had varying degrees of power put into them, he managed to adjust their speed of travel by tweaking the flow of his reiatsu, thereby causing them to move towards their target at different speeds.

Ichigo leapt back up to the ceiling and observed his plan in action. Throughout the entire hallway and likely hundreds of yards away, explosions of different sizes began erupting along the walls, floor, and ceiling as Ichigo's attacks made contact. Much to his relief, he sensed all reiatsu signatures converge on the entrance, and witnessed all of them run down the hallway in pursuit of what they presumed to be an enemy invader.

After enough distance had been made, Ichigo finally jumped back down and quickly ran through the entrance into what he soon discovered to be a laboratory, which only convinced him further that he had found the correct location for the device. He took quick glances at the monitors lined up against the wall, each one connected to the wall itself or some item resting on a pedestal located in front of its respective computer. He eventually caught the glimpse of several keywords that made him halt in his tracks.

He skimmed his eyes over the words decorating the monitor in front of him, and after several mentions of Gargantas, atmospheric integrity, and the number of times adaptive countermeasures had been executed, Ichigo proceeded to unsheathe his Zanpakuto and quickly severed the connection between the computer and the artifact in front of it.

The monitor flickered briefly before going black, but the artifact continued to emanate a strange type of energy; and so he raised his palm at the artifact and shot a Kidō spell directly at it, a loud all-encompassing snapping noise followed after the explosion.

Ichigo didn't waste any time and quickly exited the laboratory and leapt back up into the ceiling, traversing the beams once more while masking his reiatsu to avoid detection by the previous occupants of the lab who were now desperately returning due to the most recent explosion in the area.

He could hear a scream of rage off in the distance as he created more distance between himself and the laboratory, but the sudden disappearance of one of his fellow Lieutenant's reiatsu signatures spurred him to quicken his flash-steps towards their location, his concern for them returning as his mission had been accomplished.

**Chapter 18**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

A little shorter than my most recent chapters, but it still has quite a bit of story squeezed into it. A part of me wanted to write a couple more thousand words, but ultimately I felt like this was a good spot to end the chapter, that and my motivation is a little diminished right now. I've been feeling a bit off this past week, with any luck I'll become acclimated to the pace of my days come next week.

-OSA


	19. Chapter 19

Ichigo didn't waste any time and quickly exited the laboratory and leapt back up into the ceiling, traversing the beams once more while masking his reiatsu to avoid detection by the previous occupants of the lab who were now desperately returning due to the most recent explosion in the area.

He could hear a scream of rage off in the distance as he created more distance between himself and the laboratory, but the sudden disappearance of one of his fellow Lieutenant's reiatsu signatures spurred him to quicken his flash-steps towards their location, his concern for them returning as his mission had been accomplished.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 19**

After travelling through many of the corridors and hallways that littered the inside of Las Noches, as well as slipping past several patrols, Ichigo was able to reach the location of his fellow Lieutenants. However, before he revealed himself to his allies, his instincts kicked into high alert at the sight before him. Lieutenant Seinosuke and Lieutenant Sojun were both crossing blades against the other, and it was this odd scenario that caused him to remain hidden in the ceiling.

He didn't understand why his peers were fighting each other and could only surmise that it had something to do with the Arrancar who was observing the battle much like himself; and so with great reluctance Ichigo decided to remain hidden until he could gather more information on the situation at hand.

Ichigo took note of the Arrancar's appearance as well as the equally strange reiatsu being emitted by the hollow who was watching his fellow Lieutenants much like a spectator would in an arena. The subtle changes in the Arrancar's facial expressions, two of the glowing eyes on his body, and the hand movements all lead him to but a single conclusion: Lieutenant Seinosuke and Lieutenant Sojun were being controlled by this Arrancar.

As Ichigo remained crouched in the ceiling, his eyes narrowed in thought, "_It's safe to assume that there is at least a one to one correspondence with the number of targets this Arrancar can control with the number of eyes he possesses."_

Seinosuke's movements were rather lagging and dull compared to Sojun amidst their exchange of strikes. The vanishing reiatsu signature that Ichigo had detected earlier might explain the cause for such effect, but all Ichigo could do at this point was speculate and observe, something he soon realized began to irk him.

Ichigo had operated by himself for decades. He had not made a single alliance in the entirety of his time as a mercenary, let alone a friend, and while he did not know Seinosuke or Sojun well, they were his allies. They were his comrades. The risk of having any relationship, whether it was one of friendship or that of professionalism brought about the inherent possibility of suffering pain of loss. The pain of loss was more than likely Ichigo's reasoning for operating alone, and by listening to his Zanpakuto spirits he was putting forth an effort to accepting his emotions. Unfortunately, since Ichigo would no longer repress his emotions, he had to endure the pain of helplessness as he watched his comrades cut each other apart.

Injuries that varied from shallow cuts to near fatal gashes were exchanged, and Ichigo couldn't help but think that many of the attacks each Lieutenant suffered could've easily been avoided had they been in control of their actions.

"_I must wait. I cannot afford to fall victim to this Arrancar's ability. When the moment is right…_" Ichigo thought as his comrades continued to mutilate each other, much to his disgust, "_this hollow will die._"

The battle between the Lieutenants continued. The wounds continued to grow in number. The volume of blood pouring from every newly created orifice continued to paint the previously white walls and floor to a distinctly colored red.

Seinosuke would charge forward with an overhand attack, and Sojun would simply stand there as the blade dug into his shoulder, his expression remaining unchanged. Seinosuke would react in similar fashion when Sojun would eventually retaliate with a slash to the 4th Division Lieutenant's ribs. All the while, the Arrancar standing nearby wore a sadistic grin of satisfaction as his puppets entertained him with battle, deriving pleasure at the damage he was inflicting on his Shinigami enemies both physically and mentally by pitting the allies against each other.

Ichigo had to exercise every last ounce of his patience in order to stop himself from attacking the Arrancar as the battle between Sojun and Seinosuke continued to become more gruesome. Their bodies were enduring an unnatural amount of damage and in all likelihood would not survive the day, let alone be the same again should they live for tomorrow.

Despite the disgust he felt towards their battle, and the loathing he felt towards the Arrancar for his despicable actions, Ichigo continued to observe the battle. Ichigo would not disrespect his comrades by ignoring their final moments. They would not die in vain, nor would their battle be forgotten. Ichigo took to memory every cut, every stab, and every frame of the events taking place before him, for if one asked about the final moments in his comrades' lives, a story could be told.

Of course, Ichigo had a part in this story he would surely tell if he survived this war. He had restrained himself in the darkness. He had allowed this heartless battle between allies to continue. He had eliminated the miniscule chance of saving their lives for the sake of killing the enemy. The moment he gave up on their survival, he thereby owed it to their sacrifice by achieving victory. Therefore, when the moment had finally arrived, Ichigo was more than prepared to carry out his unspoken promise.

Ichigo had silently released his Zanpakuto, using the entirety of his concentration to mask the abrupt rise in reiatsu, and when Sojun's blade was but a millimeter away from impaling Seinosuke's solar plexus, each passing moment in time had slowed and Ichigo finally reacted.

Seinosuke was impaled by Sojun's Zanpakuto, the blade having run through his chest and exiting out of his back, but before a single drop of blood could fall from the tip of the intruding sword, Zommari's head had hit the ground with a resounding thud. Black wispy smoke dissipated to reveal the 2nd Division Lieutenant standing behind the now headless Octava Espada, Zommari Rureaux. A drop of blood fell from the scythe held by Ichigo in the same moment that a drop of blood hit the floor off Sojun's Zanpakuto, and in the following moment both Sojun and Seinosuke fell backwards towards the ground.

Ichigo was immediately by Sojun's side, placing his scythe on the ground as he attempted to save the 6th Division Lieutenant's life with a healing Kidō. However, his mediocre healing was only able to prevent Sojun's condition from worsening, unable to overtake the inevitable embrace that death would bring for Sojun, and they both knew it.

Ichigo glanced at Seinosuke briefly and soon discovered that the 4th Division Lieutenant had long since died before he had arrived to the scene, Zommari having pitted Sojun against nothing but a corpse, which only sickened Ichigo even further at the hollow's actions.

His attention was soon directed back towards Sojun, however, as the Lieutenant weakly grabbed hold of the hand Ichigo was using to perform the healing Kidō.

"It is too late" Sojun said quietly, discomfort etched across his face as he struggled against the pain.

Ichigo could only observe the man lying before him with a passive face, being unable to express the numerous emotions raging within him.

"I'm afraid that I must…make an unfair request of you…Lieutenant Fushou" Sojun ground out weakly in between his fits of coughing.

Ichigo could only nod in acknowledgement as he witnessed the last moments of his comrade's life.

"Please…watch over my son…Byakuya" Sojun managed to say before a pained expression overcame him, "My wife is dead…and my father soon approaches retirement…he will have no one but the family's elders."

Ichigo recalled the boy who Sojun spoke of and couldn't help but have mixed feelings about being responsible for the child, which Sojun had noticed as Ichigo's eyebrows had knitted together slightly upon hearing Sojun's request.

"The elders will not do what is best for him…I do not wish him the fate of becoming their…_puppet_" Sojun managed, agony racing through his body once more as the last threads of his life were on the verge of breaking.

"January 14th…" Sojun choked, oxygen leaving his lungs as he gathered the last of his strength to speak, "Inuzuri" he was able to say with his final breath.

Sojun Kuchiki, Lieutenant of the 6th Division and member of the Kuchiki Noble Family, had died.

Ichigo stared at the man beneath him for what seemed like hours. The emotions that were previously raging through his entire being had suddenly halted in their tracks upon the last trace of Sojun's reiatsu disappearing.

However, Ichigo could ponder over his thoughts no further as several incoming reiatsu signatures brought him back to reality. There were additional signatures not too far behind and he couldn't afford to be delayed in assisting the Captains in battle.

Ichigo grabbed hold of his Zanpakuto and quickly sealed its form. He cut a lock of hair and the attached kenseikan off the left side of Sojun's head before removing the 6th Division Lieutenant's armband and placing both items in his uniform. Ichigo cut off a lock of Seinosuke's hair in similar fashion and retrieved the 4th Division Lieutenant's armband as well, also placing both items in his uniform.

The reiatsu signatures were fast approaching and it wouldn't be long until he was overrun by hollows of varying strength. Ichigo moved Seinosuke's body next to Sojun's so they were parallel and as he closed his eyes while slowly taking in a breath, he outstretched an open palm towards his comrades' bodies before softly saying, "Hadō #54, Haien."

An oblong blast of purple energy was propelled from his hand and incinerated both Seinosuke and Sojun's bodies, leaving no evidence behind other than the feint smell of burnt flesh.

Ichigo didn't spend a single moment there any longer and quickly left for the Las Noches exit, his thoughts being taken away from his comrades' deaths to the battle he could sense taking place between his fellow Captains and an Arrancar on the rooftop.

Meanwhile, the remaining half of the assault team in the desert had engaged in battle against the hollows that had come to meet them upon their arrival in Hueco Mundo.

Zaraki was laughing gleefully as he crossed blades with an Arrancar wearing an eye patch who wielded an axe-like sword that had two crescent moon-shaped blades fused together at their back, creating a unique looking weapon, much to the 11th Division Captain's excitement.

Kensei was engaged in battle with a blue-haired Arrancar in hand to hand combat, neither individual feeling all that inclined to draw their swords, both of them content with the current circumstances of their fight.

Mashiro, the Lieutenant of the 9th Division, was currently in the process of taunting a rather large Arrancar while simultaneously dodging his attacks, which only infuriated the hollow even more as the frequency and volume of his verbal obscenities only increased as their exchange progressed.

Mayuri paid no attention to the hollows that had arrived nor did he take interest in the battles taking place, feeling that such savage behavior was not nearly as stimulating as his struggle with reopening a gateway to Soul Society, but the remaining hollows not engaged in battle weren't as disinterested as the 3rd Seat of the 12th Division.

"Hey, white face!" a rather short Arrancar spat towards Mayuri, failing to catch the scientist's attention.

The Arrancar began walking towards Mayuri, his ill will towards the Shinigami quite evident if his aura didn't make that obvious enough. The Arrancar was rather short; the remnants of his hollow mask were that of a bulky helmet similar to the shape of a hammerhead shark, the right side of which was wrapped in bandages, thereby obscuring his right eye.

Standing only but a couple of yards away, the Arrancar's agitation reached an all-time high as Mayuri continued to disregard his presence, still tinkering with various devices in his possession as he attempted to intellectually defeat whomever was responsible for sealing them in Hueco Mundo.

"Don't ignore me Shinigami!" the Arrancar yelled before drawing out his sword and bringing it down upon Mayuri to split the scientist vertically in half.

"Che" Mayuri said, clearly annoyed by the Arrancar's distractions.

Before the Arrancar's blade could come any closer towards Mayuri, his actions faltered when he saw a small vial break upon hitting his mask, the contents of which splashed on both his face and mask. He could ponder its effects no longer as a searing pain erupted from the point of contact and much like acid, the liquid ate away at his body. In under a minute's time the Arrancar whose name Mayuri cared not to learn had been eaten away completely into nothingness.

After witnessing their comrade's quick defeat by a method none of them were familiar with, they opted to not disturb Mayuri and simply watched the ongoing battles.

Ichigo had long since exited Las Noches and was speeding towards the rooftop, almost desperate to help his comrades by this point after witnessing the death of his fellow Lieutenants. The reiatsu he was sensing up ahead was staggering to say the least, but Ichigo didn't let that impede his focus nor his destination.

"C'mon Rose, we can't let the bad guy make us look bad" Love exclaimed with a haggard sigh as he panted while trying to catch his breath, a mix of blood and sweat pouring down his face.

His fellow Captain would have worn a look of exasperation if he too wasn't just as tired and injured, "The hero must always struggle at the beginning…only then will victory reach its perfect melody" Rose commented before reeling back his released Zanpakuto; a golden whip, tipped with a flower.

"Well I sure as hell don't like the sound of the beat down we're receiving right now" Love grimaced as he shouldered his own released Zanpakuto, the massive spiked-truncheon doing little to reassure the 7th Division Captain as Ulquiorra began stalking towards them once again.

The Quinto Espada outstretched his hand and pointed his index finger at the two Captains, and while the Captains braced themselves for the attack, an assailant from out of nowhere shot towards Ulquiorra before he could fire.

Ichigo was putting forth all his efforts in his speed and as he finally arrived at the rooftop he wasted no time with assassination attempts or assessing the situation. He found his target and simply attacked.

Ulquiorra managed to dodge the assault, and while he could match Ichigo's speed initially, as their battle progressed he was steadily falling behind. Not long after, both Love and Rose soon joined the 2nd Division Lieutenant in the fight and the three shinigami didn't allow Ulquiorra a single moment to breathe let alone mount an offensive.

Upon Ichigo's arrival, Love and Rose had gotten a second wind. Their motivation now reinvigorated at their comrades' arrival as the encounter was finally turning in their favor.

When Rose was left exposed to an attack, Love would garner Ulquiorra's attention, and when Ulquiorra attempted to parry, Ichigo would slip in a cut on the outstretched arm. The three of them had never functioned as a group in battle before, but Ulquiorra wouldn't have guessed otherwise based on how well they complimented each other.

However, the damage that they had inflicted upon the Arrancar was soon healed by the Espada's high speed regeneration; cuts on the arm would heal moments after they were created. Ichigo had even managed to decapitate Ulquiorra's hand amidst a combined flurry by the three shinigami, but the Arrancar had simply regenerated a new hand like new.

"Organs" Ichigo muttered during a slight pause in their assault, and the three shinigami continued their attacks once more with new focus.

Unfortunately, that slight pause gave Ulquiorra ample time to create distance between his shinigami attackers, "Resurrección, Segunda Etapa."

While both Love and Rose had faltered in their steps and stood rooted in place, Ichigo didn't hesitate in the slightest. He continued forward, flash-stepping towards Ulquiorra with unrelenting speed and nothing but focus and determination despite the monstrous reiatsu being released by the Espada.

Love and Rose realized too late their mistake and as such the momentum and rhythm they had collectively, was now disrupted. They both ran after Ichigo to catch up, but he was moving far too fast and the distance between Ichigo and Ulquiorra was too short for them to be able to provide support.

Several feet before reaching Ulquiorra, Ichigo flash-stepped behind him and brought forth a devastating swing of his released Zanpakuto, the scythe cutting through the smoke created by Ulquiorra and aimed to cut the Espada's spine in half. The blade screamed through the air and the pressure alone could probably be felt by Love and Rose from the amount of force Ichigo had put behind his attack.

Ichigo was met with resistance.

His blade was halted immediately with unwavering strength, and before Ichigo could pull back his blade for a second attack, a beam of black energy with a green outline shot towards him. Ichigo was far too close to avoid the attack; it was through instinct alone that the beam shot through his shoulder instead of his chest.

Love and Rose both arrived two seconds too late. Their comrade now injured and not supporting them in conjunction with their attacks quickly turned their confidence in victory back to the despair of loss. Ulquiorra was already defeating them both prior to Ichigo's arrival and that was with far less reiatsu than he had now.

Despite the wound in his shoulder, Ichigo immediately jumped back into the fight to support his comrades, but even when they managed to sync their attacks, Ulquiorra's strength proved to be far more than they could handle, and it showed. Their wounds were increasing with dangerous frequency and they had yet to cause any damage to the Quinto Espada.

They were losing an uphill battle, and regardless of how focused and determined Ichigo remained in their struggle, a drop of fear fell through the cracks and the levee was on its way to break despite Ichigo's thoughts.

"_I won't let them die…"_

Ulquiorra's sword pierced Rose's forearm, and Love quickly rushed a swing aimed towards the Espada's neck, but Ulquiorra easily leaned back and planted his feet on Rose's arm, pushing himself backwards, thereby withdrawing the blade from Rose's flesh and avoiding Love's attack.

"_I can prevent their deaths…"_

As Love attempted to bring down an overhead strike, Ulquiorra horizontally cut the underside of Love's arms before kicking him in the stomach, vaulting the Captain towards a pillar on the roof. Rose flung his rope-like Zanpakuto at the Espada's legs while Ichigo aimed a kick at the back of Ulquiorra's head. Ulquiorra simply flipped forward dodging both attacks, managing to kick Ichigo's outstretched leg with his heels and firing another energy attack at the kneeling Rose. Rose's reiatsu dropped to nonexistent levels.

"_I just need to focus more…"_

While Ichigo regained his balance after being kicked sideways by Ulquiorra, Love charged towards the Espada but proved to be of little challenge on his own. They exchanged attacks and after a series of swings Love had managed to inflict some minor gashes on Ulquiorra, but his high speed regeneration easily remedied the wounds. Love had fought aggressively to land those attacks and in the process had left himself vulnerable to Ulquiorra's answer, and unlike the Espada, Love did not have high speed regeneration. Love's reiatsu all but disappeared entirely after Ulquiorra had stabbed him with a lance of green energy.

"_I will…"_

The dust settled and only two remained.

Ichigo charged forward, just as quickly as he had in his first attack. He ignored the pain he experienced through his wounds. He ignored the torment in his mind at witnessing his comrades' fall to death's embrace once more. He ignored the telltale signs that defeat was imminent and resistance futile.

He could feel the heat of the lance Ulquiorra held, and while he managed to avoid injury more efficiently than both Love and Rose, he could only fight against time for so long. He back stepped a downward slash, but Ulquiorra managed to land a kick on his sternum sending him flying into the pillar wall.

Ichigo crumbled to the floor and sat unmoving. He could see Ulquiorra slowly walking towards him. He could hear himself breathing and nothing else. For some reason it felt good to breath, an oddity he couldn't really explain given the circumstances. He simply inhaled and exhaled. The distance closing at a painstaking pace, but he didn't pay it much attention. His jaw started to vibrate with each new breath, and time slowed further after releasing the air in his lungs.

Ulquiorra had eventually halted in his tracks, unflinching and unmoving. Deafness crept upon him as sound soon left his ears. The contrast in his vision, however, was soon beginning to intensify. At the point of the hollow hole in the center of Ulquiorra's sternum began a glowing light. The light soon obscured the Espada's form from view and was replaced by a smiling young girl, Nikkō.

**Chapter 19**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Summer classes are keeping me pretty busy and my motivation is still dwindling, but I wanted to update you all with a new chapter. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review or send me a private message.

-OSA


	20. Chapter 20

Ulquiorra had eventually halted in his tracks, unflinching and unmoving. Deafness crept upon him as sound soon left his ears. The contrast in his vision, however, was soon beginning to intensify. At the point of the hollow hole in the center of Ulquiorra's sternum began a glowing light. The light soon obscured the Espada's form from view and was replaced by a smiling young girl, Nikkō.

* * *

><p><strong>Lex Talionis<strong>

**Chapter 20**

"You've got a stupid look on your face" the young girl remarked as she approached the prone form of Ichigo lying against the stone wall on the rooftop of Las Noches.

He found it odd that time around them had stopped and yet he and Nikkō were still able to move, and then he soon recalled a similar experience he had with Gekkō and understood the nature of the situation: a conscious connection between himself and Nikkō had finally been established.

Ichigo didn't bother responding to her insult and opted to stand back up on his feet, which oddly enough took little effort to accomplish.

"I assume you have a reason for being here" Ichigo finally stated with a disinterested tone.

A tick mark appeared on Nikkō's forehead and her teeth clenched together in obvious anger, which was the only warning Ichigo had before she launched forward with a kick aimed at his head. Ichigo simply tilted his head sideways and Nikkō's attack missed, causing her foot to hit the wall and fall unceremoniously towards the ground with a resounding grunt of discomfort.

Ichigo observed her face as she now lay beneath him, her look of utter shock nearly bringing a smirk to his face, but he was feeling particularly impatient and decided to skip the pleasantries, "Will you answer my question?"

Nikkō shook her head briefly to regain her wits before hopping back onto her feet and directing a threatening glare in Ichigo's direction, the attempt at intimidation doing nothing more than bring amusement in the man's eyes. She abruptly turned away from him with her arms crossed before huffing indignantly and a moment later they were both standing on the familiar beach and shining sun that was her home.

"I can't believe you…" the young girl stated with the upmost seriousness as they both stared out at the water.

She let the statement hang in the air as they continued standing in silence. As she turned towards him, her expression was void of any anger or frustration, all that remained was a passiveness reminiscent of Ichigo himself. He didn't know if this was a test of patience or battle of wills, but he had never really been the social type so the silence did little to unnerve his demeanor.

"Next time a girl throws herself at you like that, you need to take advantage of it!" she finally yelled with an outburst of frustration.

Ichigo simply stood there unflinching for several seconds, the information processing through his mind, before his eyebrows raised a quarter of an inch and eyes widened in complete shock.

"W-what!?" he replied, obviously taken off guard.

"I mean she was practically disrobing you with her eyes, and I'm sure that body is killer in bed…" she continued to trail off in a sexually fueled rant, her hands making odd squeezing gestures in the air, but Ichigo was still at a loss for words so she continued uninterrupted.

After several minutes of her rambling on about Ichigo and his sex life, he finally regained his bearings enough to put words to thought, "You dragged me in here to talk about _women_?" he deadpanned.

Nikkō glanced his way, "Why, is there something else going on I don't know about?"

Ichigo simply covered his face with the palm of his hand before turning around and walking along the beach. He hadn't taken more than a couple of steps before he felt a weight on his shoulders, but he continued his walk.

She looked up in thought as if recalling a memory before clapping her hands together in realization, "You talkin' about that malnourished hollow who has about as much personality as you?"

Ichigo glanced up at her, ignoring the insult, and nodded affirmatively.

She chuckled, the vibrations reverberating on his shoulders at her gleefulness, "You should have no problem with him."

Ichigo paused in his walk to consider her words and stared up at her expectantly.

Nikkō quickly stood atop his shoulder before kicking it backwards to turn his body around where she propped her feet against his upper chest while her hands held onto the back of his head, effectively hanging off his body and bringing their faces only inches apart, "You've always had my power Ichigo, it's just a matter of finding it."

She gave him no time to consider her words before head butting him backwards and the sandy beach soon turned into the rooftop of Las Noches as he fell down and found himself sitting against the wall staring up at Ulquiorra.

Ichigo sighed with exasperation at the ridiculousness of his situation. He took another breath and closed his eyes and exhaled. He pressed against the wall and slowly stood himself up, his eyes reopening and holding much of the focus and steely resolve he had mustered in every battle up until this point.

"I have to find something…" Ichigo said to no one in particular, which made Ulquiorra narrow his eyes slightly in confusion. As Ichigo finally straightened his body and bore his gaze towards the Quinto Espada he softly said, "…and you're going to help me find it."

Immediately following the words leaving his mouth, Ichigo charged towards Ulquiorra with determination of a different kind. During their initial skirmish Ichigo had attacked out of fear. Fear for his comrades' lives and to some extent his own. His fear clouded his thoughts and dulled his blade. The fog was slowly beginning to lift and he could see more clearly than ever before. As their weapons crossed and bodies were moving abound, Ichigo's mind was steadily beginning to understand his heart.

His mother had taught him to embrace fear, to use its power and crush his enemies. Fear became a blanket of comfort, a cloak to shield himself, a shell to prevent any intrusions. That all changed though when he joined the Gotei 13. He had eventually come to the realization that since the primary motivator for his revenge was fabricated his resolve soon crumbled and made way for exposure. Exposure to feelings he had all but shut away after his family had died. Feelings that made him question himself, and question his heart. Fear was no longer his to embrace; it had become a tool only left with one purpose, to dull his blade. He could no longer leap into battle with fear as his companion; he now had friends and a home. He now had something to lose, whereas before he need not concern himself over such insignificant distractions. People he once thought as enemies, now considered friends; and a woman had somehow snuck into his heart and created a whirlwind of confusion and uncertainty. No, fear was definitely incapable of helping him now. The fear of dying. The fear to kill. The fear of being unable to save lives. His sword, and therefore his heart, had only reflected fear now that it was exposed to everything he had suppressed.

He parried a powerful overhead strike from Ulquiorra before strafing to the left and swinging his sword towards the unprotected side of the Arrancar. Ulquiorra quickly turned his body and parried the attack. While they both stood in place, locked in a competition of strength, Ichigo inwardly smirked at the opportunity he was presented with and capitalized on it not a moment too soon.

Ichigo took one hand off the hilt of his sword and directed index finger at Ulquiorra's shoulder before softly saying, "Hadō #4, Byakurai."

A concentrated bolt of lightning shot forth from Ichigo's finger and straight through the Arrancar's shoulder, continuing to fly across the sky before Ichigo cut off the flow of energy and ceased the attack. Ulquiorra made a noise of discomfort before batting away Ichigo's sword and creating distance between the two of them. As they both stood there on the cusp another clash, Ichigo noted with mild interest as he observed the hole in Ulquiorra's shoulder seal itself up; he almost forgot about the Arrancar's high speed regeneration.

He could observe no further as Ulquiorra soon pointed his own index finger towards Ichigo and without warning shot a powerful black Cero towards him, the power contained in the attack easily recognized by Ichigo as he barely avoided the blast radius, only to narrowly avoid getting his head cleaved off by the Arrancar's sword.

As Ichigo rolled sideways before taking a knee, both hands placed on the ground to steady his position, he took several breaths to recover before noticing that his Zanpakuto was emitting a tiny bit of yellow tinted smoke, swirling around the blade calmly. He couldn't observe any further though as he jumped backwards to avoid a strike from Ulquiorra, which had left a crater in the ground

"_I doubt __Tsuki no zetsubō would have much effect on him, but perhaps…" _Ichigo thought before flash-stepping away from yet another attack from Ulquiorra.

As Ulquiorra turned towards Ichigo, the surprise was evident on his face when he noted that no one was there. Ichigo had completely vanished. Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed before he closed them altogether and concentration etched its way across his features.

The only thing accompanying the silence was the negligible amount of wind, and after the wind disappeared Ulquiorra was met with only silence. However, his eyes opened abruptly before he raised his green glowing, javelin-type weapon, and pivoted his foot backwards just in time to block a strike aimed at the back of his neck.

A scythe and human form was soon revealed as wispy smoke began to dissipate, and Ichigo was more than just a little surprised by the fact that Ulquiorra had detected him.

"You cannot hide from my pesquisa, trash" Ulquiorra stated before pushing Ichigo's blade off and landing a horizontal slash across Ichigo's midsection.

Ichigo flash-stepped away yet again to create distance and recover from being caught off guard. "_Tsuki no mitōshi appears to have no effect on him either_" Ichigo thought disconcertingly.

"_I cannot assault his emotional state as he doesn't seem to have one, and I cannot hide from his senses. What might his weakness be I wonder" _Ichigo pondered as they engaged in battle once again.

Ulquiorra was slowly overwhelming Ichigo, but that didn't deter the Shinigami from hypothesizing weaknesses he might be able to exploit with the Arrancar. It appeared that their battle would be decided with time.

"_I cannot hide with __Gekkō against this foe, much like I cannot fight using Ulquiorra's emotions…" _and as Ichigo's thoughts trailed off and took pause, he was struck with a revelation that provided enough momentum for him to realize the truth.

He had been fighting with no emotions because he was suppressing them, which worked fine against his enemies because Gekkō simply allowed him to use his enemy's instead. However, if his enemy had little or no emotion to begin with, he had nothing to counterbalance his own state of emptiness.

"_If I cannot use my enemy's emotion, then I must use my own…" _Ichigo thought, and with that thought his Zanpakuto pulsed, and deformed back into its unreleased state. However, the yellow tinted smoke was far more prominent now and the energy he felt radiating off the blade was coursing through his body. He immediately recognized the feeling, it was the same feeling he had when his hand made contact with Nikkō's ankle when they first met in her world. He could feel her running through his body, like a child finally let out to play it was finally her turn, and he could feel overwhelming amounts of happiness from her, it was invigorating.

As her presence continued to fill his body, he could feel her in his mind. She was with him and he was ready, "_Release me, Ichigo" _he heard her say softly in his thoughts.

Ichigo couldn't hold back the grin that spread across his face, which soon turned into a full blown smile that only made Ulquiorra look at him with minor confusion.

"Thanks Ulquiorra" Ichigo stated as he held his Zanpakuto out to the side, the blade pointed up towards the sky.

Before the Arrancar could so much as question what he said, Ichigo spoke yet again, "Seek, Nikkō."

The release of reiatsu was explosive, it was like a shockwave had been dropped where Ichigo stood and dirt was flung outwards in all directions as his reiatsu continued to skyrocket. Yellow tinted smoke engulfed his blade as it transformed, growing in length and size. Ichigo reeled his Zanpakuto out from the smoke to reveal its new form; it had become a massive morning star, it was entirely black with the exception of the spikes which were silver. His Zanpakuto was easily as long as his entire body and his fingers barely overlapped as hands grasped around the hilt.

However, Ichigo was more preoccupied with his state of being, as his blade wasn't the only thing that had undergone a transformation of sorts amidst releasing Nikkō. The same yellow tinted smoke that had engulfed his Zanpakuto was now emanating from his eyes. The colors in his vision had twice as much contrast, making them appear more intense. He could hear his own heartbeat as loudly as he could hear someone speak in his ear, as well as the grains of dirt swirling in the air and grinding against the ground. He could taste the reiatsu in the air and detect the scent of Ulquiorra who still remained unmoving in front of him. He could feel the small breeze bristle against the hairs on the back of his neck and the temperature of the dessert seemed to intensify greatly. He seemed to be consciously aware of how much time passed with each moment. The only way he could describe the collective feeling of everything he was experiencing was somehow his senses had seemed to be amplified exponentially.

"_There was such a buildup of reiatsu that I had to use one of my abilities to consume what couldn't be released. It's called __Taiyō no mitōshi" _Nikkō said in his thoughts.

Ichigo could only nod his head in acknowledgement lest he become overwhelmed by all the sensory input. He readied his stance before vaulting towards Ulquiorra with a speed that he struggled to control. He swung his Zanpakuto sideways towards the Arrancar's head and was surprised at how little the momentum seemed to affect his balance. Ulquiorra brought up his javelin to parry the strike and was thoroughly surprised at the force behind the attack, especially since it created tiny cracks in the javelin itself.

Ichigo launched his foot towards the other side of Ulquiorra's head and connected, shooting the Arrancar halfway across the rooftop. Ichigo wasted no time and sped after him. Ulquiorra planted his feet in the ground and had little time to defend himself from the onslaught Ichigo brought forth as an unending barrage of strikes came down upon him until his javelin outright broken in half, leaving no further resistance to the morning star which had dug itself into Ulquiorra's collar bone.

Ichigo retracted the weapon out from Ulquiorra's skin before flipping backwards and kicking the Arrancar under the chin, vaulting him into the sky. Nikkō silently conveyed another one of her abilities as the opportunity to critically wound Ulquiorra soon presented itself.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six. Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō" Ichigo said evenly as he pointed two fingers at the airborne Arrancar and six wide beams of thin light slammed into Ulquiorra's midsection, effectively immobilizing him.

Without wasting time, Ichigo bent at his knees and planted his feet firmly in the ground. He placed his right hand in the middle of his Zanpakuto while his left hand remained at the bottom of the hilt. While directing the weapon at Ulquiorra he softly said, "Taiyō no yorokobi."

Light began building within the spiked ball of his Zanpakuto before a beam of yellow energy shot towards Ulquiorra. The energy made contact with the skin over his abdomen and severely burned it on contact, and moments later the energy ripped through him entirely leaving him with a gaping hole.

Ulquiorra finally managed to break free from the binding spell and crashed to the ground not long after. Ichigo felt slightly disoriented before shaking it off and going on the offensive once again. Ulquiorra was barely dodging Ichigo's attacks at this point due to the second hole now present on his person, and with what reiatsu he could muster he was able to sonido away from Ichigo to create some distance.

Ichigo sped after him once more while Ulquiorra created another green-glowing javelin. As Ichigo brought his Zanpakuto downwards after leaping towards the wounded Arrancar, Ulquiorra reeled back the javelin and rather than using it to parry the incoming attack or attempt to impale Ichigo, he launched it at the ground in front of his feet. Ichigo's eyes widened dramatically as he soon realized what Ulquiorra was about to do, and moments before the javelin struck the ground that Ichigo was only mere inches away from, he managed to halt his momentum and perform an exceptionally long flash-step.

The blast radius was unavoidable. It encompassed the entire rooftop and Ichigo could only grind his teeth as the resulting fire and extreme heat scorched his skin. Amidst all the chaos, Ichigo realized that Taiyō no mitōshi also amplified his sense of pain, which made the agony he was experiencing far more potent than anything he had ever endured.

He performed an additional flash-step to further escape the resulting explosion and much to his relief was able to escape Ulquiorra's attempt to take his life through suicide.

"_He must have realized that with one of his organs destroyed he wouldn't last much longer" _Ichigo thought absentmindedly as the explosion began to settle into simmering flames and spewing smoke.

Ichigo closed his eyes and softly exhaled as he sealed his Zanpakuto, effectively putting his state of mind back to normal. Although he was unprepared for the dizzying sensation and white light that blinded his vision as he collapsed on the desert ground. He panted heavily as his vision soon returned as colors and shapes soon formed. After catching his breath the dizziness also disappeared and steadily he stood back up on his feet.

"_What was that?" _Ichigo thought to himself.

"_If you use Taiyō no mitōshi for too long, the sensory input becomes too much for your nervous system. If you use it too much at one time without letting your mind recover…" _Nikkō said while letting her words hang in the air.

Ichigo simply nodded his head in acknowledgement before slowly inhaling and exhaling to calm his nerves. After regaining his nerves and concentration, he sheathed his Zanpakuto and began flash-stepping towards his remaining comrades further out in the desert.

As he trekked across the desert sands he realized he had used a great deal of his reiatsu combating all of the Arrancars he had come across, but ultimately there was little he could do about it. He made decent time despite his rather drained state and upon his arrival noticed that several battles were going on, but once he spotted Mayuri he flash-stepped next to the scientist.

"I assume you managed to destroy the device preventing us from leaving, as I was able to restore a stable Garganta back to Soul Society not too long ago with no resistance. However, the reiatsu capacity is only low enough for one person at a time" Mayuri stated without so much as glancing back at Ichigo.

As Ichigo looked back at the ongoing battles, he took note of Zaraki trading sword strikes with an Arrancar wearing an eye patch, Kensei was having a fist fight with a blue-haired Arrancar, Mashiro was hopping around a large dark-skinned Arrancar, and a small group of other Arrancar were standing off to the side observing the battle going on between Kensei and the blue-haired Arrancar.

"Do you require my presence for that small group of Arrancar, 3rd Seat Kurotsuchi?" Ichigo asked while observing said group with a keen eye.

Mayuri simply waved at him dismissively, "They're merely pests, hardly anything to worry about" the scientist stated as a matter of fact.

"Very well, if you would please open a Garganta back to Soul Society" Ichigo requested.

Mayuri began tinkering with the device in his hand, seemingly hitting random buttons, but not long after a Garganta ripped open in the sky.

"No one else survived from my group" Ichigo informed Mayuri, who simply nodded absentmindedly, obviously not caring.

Ichigo paid another glance back at his comrades battling the Arrancar before leaping into the Garganta, moments later the tear in the sky closed and he was left alone between worlds, or so he initially thought. Ichigo hadn't even taken two steps forward before he felt a reiatsu signature approaching him. He instantly recognized the reiatsu signature, but was having great difficulty comprehending why it felt so different.

"Yare yare it's been awhile, hasn't it Fushou-san?" a voice asked.

Ichigo's eyes slightly widened in shock at the person who stood before him before he quickly regained his composure, "You've grown up these past few months…" Ichigo trailed off as the person came within his sight to reveal a man who stood at equal height, "…Gin."

**Chapter 20**

**Lex Talionis**

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><p><strong>Translations &amp; Definitions:<strong>

Taiyō no mitōshi (太陽の見通し: The Sun's Perspective)

Taiyō no yorokobi (太陽の喜び: The Sun's Joy)

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I know it has been awhile since I last updated, but I didn't really have the motivation to keep writing up until recently, and I don't like writing when I don't feel like it because it will reflect poorly on the story, so I took a hiatus. I don't know if I'll be able to update on a weekly basis or not, but I'll try, it really just depends on where I'm at creatively when the next weekend comes around. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a review or send me a private message.

-OSA


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